;-NRLF 


IN  MEMORIAM 
Mary  J.   L.   McDonald 


Remember  : 
:  the  Alamo 


New  York 
Dodd,  Mead  and  Company 


COPYRIGHT,  1888, 

BY 
DODD,  MEAD   &   COMPANY 


\  -vv         ^   \ 


0V  v 


07 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.  THE  CITY  IN  THE  WILDERNESS      ....  i 

II.     ANTONIA  AND  ISABEL «  14 

III.  BUILDERS  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH    ...  31 

IV.  THE  SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE 52 

V.     A  FAMOUS  BARBECUE 85 

VI.     ROBERT  WORTH  is  DISARMED 113 

VII.     A  MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT 140 

VIII.     MOTHER  AND  PRIEST 165 

IX.  THE  STORMING  OF  THE  ALAMO      ....  185 

X.  THE  DOCTOR  AND  THE  PRIEST       ....  206 

XL     A  HAPPY  TRUCE 227 

XII.     DANGER  AND  HELP 252 

XIII.  ARRIVAL  OF  SANTA  ANNA 282 

XIV.  FALL  OF  THE  ALAMO 303 

XV.     GOLIAD 330 

XVI.  THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE. BREAST  ....  353 

XVII.  HOMEAGAZK.         .  qof|<S  j  Q  •    •  »° 

XVIII.  UNDER  ONE  FLAG    .  \7(-?V*/  I  O  .     .  417 


REMEMBER  THE  ALAMO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CITY   IN  THE   WILDERNESS. 

•'  What,  are  you  stepping  westward  ?  "    "  Yea," 

#  *  #  *  # 

Yet  who  would  stop  or  fear  to  advance, 
Though  home  or  shelter  there  was  none, 
With  such  a  sky  to  lead  him  on  !  " 

— WORDSWORTH, 

"  Ah  !  cool  night  wind,  tremulous  stars, 
Ah !  glimmering  water, 
Fitful  earth  murmur, 
Dreaming  woods  !  "  — ARNOLD. 

IN  A.  D.  sixteen  hundred  and  ninety-two*; 
a  few  Franciscan  monks  began  to  build 
a  city.  The  site  chosen  was  a  lovely  wilder 
ness  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  civiliza 
tion  on  every  side,  and  surrounded  by  sav 
age  and  warlike  tribes.  But  the  spot  was 
as  beautiful  as  the  garden  of  God.  It  was 
shielded  by  picturesque  mountains,  watered  by 
two  rivers,  carpeted  with  flowers  innumerable, 


2  REMEMBER    "'HE  ALAMO. 

shaded  by  noble  trees-  joyful  with  the  notes  of 
a  multitude  of  singing  birds.  To  breathe  the 
balmy  atmosphere  was  to  be  conscious  of  some 
rarer  arid  '-finder'  'life,  and  the  beauty  of  the 
sunny  skies^maryellous  at  dawn  and  eve  with 
tints  of  saffron  and  amethyst  and  opal — was 
like  a  dream  of  heaven. 

One  of  the  rivers  was  fed  by  a  hundred 
springs  situated  in  the  midst  of  charming  bow 
ers.  The  monks  called  it  the  San  Antonio ; 
and  on  its  banks  they  built  three  noble  Mis 
sions.  The  shining  white  stone  of  the  neigh 
borhood  rose  in  graceful  domes  and  spires 
above  the  green  trees.  Sculptures,  basso- 
relievos,  and  lines  of  gorgeous  coloring  adorned 
the  exteriors.  Within,  were  splendid  altars 
and  the  appealing  charms  of  incense,  fine  ves 
tures  and  fine  music ;  while  from  the  belfreys, 
bells  sweet  and  resonant  called  to  the  savages, 
who  paused  spell-bound  and  half-afraid  to 
listen. 

Certainly  these  priests  had  to  fight  as  well  as 
to  pray.  The  Indians  did  not  suffer  them  to 
take  possession  of  their  Eden  without  passion 
ate  and  practical  protest.  But  what  the  monks 
had  taken,  they  kept ;  and  the  fort  and  the 


THE    CITY  IN    THE    WILDERNESS.  3 

soldier  followed  the  priest  and  the  Cross.  Ere 
long,  the  beautiful  Mission  became  a  beautiful 
city,  about  which  a  sort  of  fame  full  of  romance 
and  mystery  gathered.  Throughout  the  south 
and  west,  up  the  great  highway  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  on  the  busy  streets  of  New  York,  and 
among  the  silent  hills  of  New  England,  men 
spoke  of  San  Antonio,  as  in  the  seventeenth 
century  they  spoke  of  Peru  ;  as  in  the  eight 
eenth  century  they  spoke  of  Delhi,  and  Agra, 
and  the  Great  Mogul. 

Sanguine  French  traders  carried  thither  rich 
ventures  in  fancy  wares  from  New  Orleans ; 
and  Spanish  dons  from  the  wealthy  cities  of 
Central  Mexico,  and  from  the  splendid  homes 
of  Chihuahua,  came  there  to  buy.  And  from 
the  villages  of  Connecticut,  and  the  woods  of 
Tennessee,  and  the  lagoons  of  Mississippi,  ad 
venturous  Americans  entered  the  Texan  terri 
tory  at  Nacogdoches.  They  went  through  the 
land,  buying  horses  and  lending  their  ready 
rifles  and  stout  hearts  to  every  effort  of  that 
constantly  increasing  body  of  Texans,  who, 
even  in  their  swaddling  bands,  had  begun  to 
cry  Freedom ! 

At    length   this  cry   became  a   clamor  that 


4-  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

shook  even  the  old  viceroyal  palace  in  Mexico  j 
while  in  San  Antonio  it  gave  a  certain  pitch 
to  ail  conversation,  and  made  men  wear  theit 
cloaks,  and  set  their  beavers,  and  display  their 
arms,  with  that  demonstrative  air  of  independ 
ence  they  called  los  Americano.  For,  though 
the  Americans  were  numerically  few,  they  were 
like  the  pinch  of  salt  in  a  pottage — they  gave 
the  snap  and  savor  to  the  whole  community. 

Over  this  Franciscan-Moorish  city  the  sun 
set  with  an  incomparable  glory  one  evening 
in  May,  eighteen  thirty-five.  The  white,  flat- 
roofed,  terraced  houses  —  each  one  in  its 
flowery  court — and  the  domes  and  spires  of 
the  Missions,  with  their  gilded  crosses,  had  a 
mirage-like  beauty  in  the  rare,  soft  atmosphere, 
as  if  a  dream  of  Old  Spain  had  been  material 
ized  in  a  wilderness  of  the  New  World. 

But  human  life  in  all  its  essentials  was  in 
San  Antonio,  as  it  was  and  has  been  in  all 
other  cities  since  the  world  began.  Women 
were  in  their  homes,  dressing  and  cooking, 
nursing  their  children  and  dreaming  of  their 
lovers.  Men  were  in  the  market-places,  buy 
ing  and  selling,  talking  of  politics  and  antici 
pating  war.  And  yet  in  spite  of  these  fixed 


THE   CITY  IN   THE    WILDERNESS.  5 

attributes,  San  Antonio  was  a  city  penetrated 
with  romantic  elements,  and  constantly  pic 
turesque. 

On  this  evening,  as  the  hour  of  the  Angelus 
approached,  the  narrow  streets  and  the  great 
squares  were  crowded  with  a  humanity  that 
assaulted  and  captured  the  senses  at  once ;  so 
vivid  and  so  various  were  its  component  parts. 
A  tall  sinewy  American  with  a  rifle  across  his 
shoulder  was  paying  some  money  to  a  Mexican 
in  blue  velvet  and  red  silk,  whose  breast  was 
covered  with  little  silver  images  of  his  favorite 
saints.  A  party  of  Mexican  officers  were 
strolling  to  the  Alamo ;  some  in  white  linen 
and  scarlet  sashes,  others  glittering  with  color 
and  golden  ornaments.  Side  by  side  with 
these  were  monks  of  various  orders:  the 
Franciscan  in  his  blue  gown  and  large  white 
hat ;  the  Capuchin  in  his  brown  serge ;  the 
Brother  of  Mercy  in  his  white  flowing  robes. 
Add  to  these  diversities,  Indian  peons  in 
ancient  sandals,  women  dressed  as  in  the  days 
of  Cortez  and  Pizarro,  Mexican  vendors  of 
every  kind,  Jewish  traders,  negro  servants, 
rancheros  curvetting  on  their  horses,  Apache 
and  Comanche  braves  on  spying  expeditions  \ 


6  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

and,  in  this  various  crowd,  yet  by  no  means  of 
it,  small  groups  of  Americans  ;  watchful,  silent, 
armed  to  the  teeth :  and  the  mind  may  catch 
a  glimpse  of  what  the  streets  of  San  Antonio 
were  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred 
and  thirty-five. 

It  was  just  before  sunset  that  the  city  was 
Always  at  its  gayest  point.  Yet,  at  the  first 
toll  of  the  Angelus,  a  silence  like  that  of  en 
chantment  fell  upon  it.  As  a  mother  cries 
hush  to  a  noisy  child,  so  the  angel  of  the  city 
seemed  in  this  evening  bell  to  bespeak  a 
minute  for  holy  thought.  It  was  only  a 
minute,  for  with  the  last  note  there  was  even 
an  access  of  tumult.  The  doors  and  windows 
of  the  better  houses  were  thrown  open,  ladies 
began  to  appear  on  the  balconies,  there  was  a 
sound  of  laughter  and  merry  greetings,  and 
the  tiny  cloud  of  the  cigarette  in  every  direc 
tion. 

But  amid  this  sunset  glamour  of  splendid 
color,  of  velvet,  and  silk,  and  gold  embroidery, 
the  man  who  would  have  certainly  first  at 
tracted  a  stranger's  eye  wore  the  plain  and  ugly 
costume  common  at  that  day  to  all  American 
gentlemen.  Only  black  cloth  and  white  linen 


THE   CITY  fJV    THE    WILDERNESS,  ^ 

and  a  i'ow  palmetto  hat  with  a  black  ribbon 
around  it ;  but  he  wore  his  simple  garments 
with  the  air  of  a  man  having  authority,  and  he 
returned  the  continual  salutations  of  rich  and 
poor,  like  one  who  had  been  long  familiar  with 
public  appreciation. 

It  was  Dr.  Robert  Worth,  a  physician  whose 
fame  had  penetrated  to  the  utmost  boundaries 
of  the  territories  of  New  Spain.  He  had  been 
twenty-seven  years  in  San  Antonio.  He  was 
a  familiar  friend  in  every  home.  In  sickness 
and  in  death  he  had  come  close  to  the  hearts 
in  them.  Protected  at  first  by  the  powerful 
Urrea  family,  he  had  found  it  easy  to  retain 
his  nationality,  and  yet  live  down  envy  and 
suspicion.  The  rich  had  shown  him  their 
gratitude  with  gold ;  the  poor  he  had  never 
sent  unrelieved  away,  and  they  had  given  him 
their  love. 

When  in  the  second  year  of  his  residence 
he  married  Dona  Maria  Flores,  he  gave,  even 
to  doubtful  officials,  security  for  his  political 
intentions.  And  his  future  conduct  had 
seemed  to  warrant  their  fullest  confidence. 
In  those  never  ceasing  American  invasions 
between  eighteen  hundred  and  three  and 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-two,  he  had  been 
the  friend  and  succourer  of  his  countrymen^ 
but  never  their  confederate  ;  their  adviser,  but 
never  their  confidant. 

He  was  a  tall,  muscular  man  of  a  distin- 
guished  appearance.  His  hair  was  white.  His 
face  was  handsome  and  good  to  see.  He  was 
laconic  in  speech,  but  his  eyes  were  closely 
observant  of  all  within  their  range,  and  they 
asked  searching  questions.  He  had  a  reverent 
soul,  wisely  tolerant  as  to  creeds,  and  he  loved 
his  country  with  a  passion  which  absence  from 
it  constantly  intensified.  He  was  believed  to 
be  a  thoroughly  practical  man,  fond  of  accu 
mulating  land  and  gold ;  but  his  daughter 
Antonia  knew  that  he  had  in  reality  a  noble 
imagination.  When  he  spoke  to  her  of  the 
woods,  she  felt  the  echoes  of  the  forest  ring 
through  the  room  ;  when  of  the  sea,  its  walls 
melted  away  in  an  horizon  of  long  rolling 
waves. 

lie  was  thinking  of  Antonia  as  he  walked 
slowly  to  his  home  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 
Of  all  his  children  she  was  the  nearest  to 
him.  She  had  his  mother's  beauty.  She 
had  also  his  mother's  upright  rectitude  of 


THE    CITY  IN   THE    WILDERNESS.  9 

nature.  The  Iberian  strain  had  passed  her 
absolutely  by.  She  was  a  northern  rose  in  a 
tropical  garden.  As  he  drew  near  to  his  own 
gates,  he  involuntarily  quickened  his  steps. 
He  knew  that  Antonia  would  be  waiting.  He 
could  see  among  the  thick  flowering  shrubs 
her  tall,  slim  figure  clothed  in  white.  As  she 
came  swiftly  down  the  dim  aisles  to  meet  him, 
he  felt  a  sentiment  of  worship  for  her.  She 
concentrated  in  herself  his  memory  of  home, 
mother,  and  country.  She  embodied,  in  the 
perfectness  of  their  mental  companionship, 
that  rarest  and  sweetest  of  ties — a  beloved 
child,  who  is  also  a  wise  friend  and  a  sympa 
thetic  comrade.  As  he  entered  the  garden  she 
slipped  her  hand  into  his.  He  clasped  it 
tightly.  His  smile  answered  her  smile.  There 
was  no  need  for  any  words  of  salutation. 

The  full  moon  had  risen.  The  white  house 
stood  clearly  out  in  its  radiance.  The  lattices 
were  wide  open  and  the  parfor  lighted.  They 
walked  slowly  towards  it,  between  hedges  of 
white  camelias  and  scarlet  japonicas.  Vanilla, 
patchuli,  verbena,  wild  wandering  honeysuckle 
— a  hundred  other  scents — perfumed  the  light, 
warm  air.  As  they  came  near  the  house  there 


io  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

was  a  sound  of  music,  soft  and  tinkling,  with  a 
rhythmic  accent  as  pulsating  as  a  beating 
heart. 

"It  is  Don  Luis,  father." 

"  Ah!     He  plays  well— and  he  looks  well." 

They  had  advanced  to  where  Don  Luis  was 
distinctly  visible.  He  was  within  the  room, 
but  leaning  against  the  open  door,  playing  upon 
a  mandolin.  Robert  Worth  smiled  as  he  of 
fered  his  hand  to  him.  It  was  impossible  not 
to  smile  at  a  youth  so  handsome,  and  so  charm 
ing — a  youth  who  had  all  the  romance  of  the 
past  in  his  name,  his  home,  his  picturesque 
costume  ;  and  all  the  enchantments  of  hope 
and  great  enthusiasms  in  his  future. 

"  Luis,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  ;  and  I  felt  your 
music  as  soon  as  I  heard  it." 

He  was  glancing  inquiringly  around  the  room 
as  he  spoke  ;  and  Antonia  answered  the  look: 

"  Mother  and  Isabel  are  supping  with  Dona 
Valdez.  There  is  to  be  a  dance.  I  am  waiting 
for  you,  father.  Y^u  must  put  on  your  velvet 
vest." 

"  And  you,  Luis  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  go.  I  asked  the  judge  for  the 
appointment.  He  refused  me.  Very  well !  I 


THE   CITY  IN    THE    WILDERNESS  II 

care  not  to  drink  chocolate  and  dance  in  his 
house.  One  hand  washes  the  other,  and  one 
cousin  should  help  another." 

"  Why  did  he  refuse  you  ?  " 

"Who  can  tell?"  but  Luis  shrugged  his 
shoulders  expressively,  and  added,  "  He  gave 
the  office  to  Blas-Sangre." 

"Ah!" 

"  Yes,  it  is  so — naturally  ; — Blas-Sangre  is 
rich,  and  when  the  devil  of  money  condescends 
to  appear,  every  little  devil  rises  up  to  do  him 
homage." 

"  Let  it  pass,  Luis.  Suppose  you  sing  me 
that  last  verse  again.  It  had  a  taking  charm. 
The  music  was  like  a  boat  rocking  on  the 
water." 

"  So  it  ought  to  be.  I  learned  the  words  in 
New  Orleans.  The  music  came  from  the  heart 
of  my  mandolin.  Listen,  Senor  ! 

"  '  Row  young  oarsman,  row,  young  oarsman, 

Into  the  crypt  of  the  night  we  float : 
Fair,  faint  moonbeams  wash  and  wander, 

Wash  and  wander  about  the  boat. 
Not  a  fetter  is  here  to  bind  us, 

Love  and  memory  lose  their  spell ; 
Friends  that  we  have  left  behind  us, 

Prisoners  of  content, — farewell  ! '  " 

"You  are  a   wizard,  Luis,  and  I  have  had  a 


12  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

sail  with  you.  Now,  come  with  us,  and  show 
those  dandy  soldiers  from  the  Alamo  how  to 
dance.'* 

"  Pardon  !  I  have  not  yet  ceased  to  cross 
myself  at  the  affront  of  this  morning.  And 
the  Seftora  Valdez  is  in  the  same  mind  as  her 
husband.  I  should  be  received  by  her  like  a 
dog  at  mass.  I  am  going  to-morrow  to  the 
American  colony  on  the  Colorado." 

"  Be  careful,  Luis.  These  Austin  colonists 
are  giving  great  trouble — there  have  been 
whispers  of  very  strong  measures.  I  speak  as 
a  friend." 

"  My  heart  to  yours!  But  let  me  tell  you 
this  about  the  Americans — their  drum  is  in  the 
hands  of  one  who  knows  how  to  beat  it." 

"  As  a  matter  of  hearsay,  are  you  aware  that 
three  detachments  of  troops  are  on  their  way 
from  Mexico?" 

"  For  Texas?" 

"  For  Texas." 

"  What  are  three  detachments  ?  Can  a  few 
thousand  men  put  Texas  under  lock  and  key? 
I  assure  you  not,  Seftor ;  but  now  I  must  say 
adieu  ! " 

He  took  the   doctor's  hand,  and,  as  he  held 


THE   CITY  IN    THE    WILDERNESS.          13 

It,  turned  his  luminous  face  and  splendid 
eyes  upon  Antonia.  A  sympathetic  smile 
brightened  her  own  face  like  a  flame.  Then 
he  went  silently  away,  and  Antonia  watched 
him  disappear  among  the  shrubbery. 

"  Come,  Antonia  !  I  am  ready.  We  must 
not  keep  the  Seftora  waiting  too  long." 

"  I  am  ready  also,  father."  Her  voice  was 
almost  sad,  and  yet  it  had  a  tone  of  annoyance 
in  it — "  Don  Luis  is  so  imprudent,"  she  said. 
"  He  is  always  in  trouble.  He  is  full  of 
enthusiasms ;  he  is  as  impossible  as  his  favor 
ite,  Don  Quixote." 

"  And  I  thank  God,  Antonia,  that  I  can  yet 
feel  with  him.  Woe  to  the  centuries  without 
Quixotes!  Nothing  will  remain  to  them  but— 
Sancho  Panzas." 


CHAPTER  II. 

i 

ANTONIA  AND    ISABEL. 

**  He  various  changes  of  the  world  had  Anown. 
And  some  vicissitudes  of  human  fate, 
Still  altering,  never  in  a  steady  state  : 
Good  after  ill,  and  after  pain  delight, 
Alternate,  like  the  scenes  of  day  and  night. " 

"  Ladies  whose  bright  eyes 
Rain  influence." 

"  But  who  the  limits  of  that  power  shall  trace, 
Which  a  brave  people  into  life  can  bring, 
Or  hide  at  will,  for  freedom  combating 
By  just  revenge  inflamed  ?  " 

FOR  many  years  there  had  never  been  any 
doubt  in  the  mind  of  Robert  Worth  as 
to  the  ultimate  destiny  of  Texas,  though  he 
was  by  no  means  an  adventurer,  and  had  come 
into  the  beautiful  land  by  a  sequence  of 
natural  and  business-like  events.  He  was  born 
in  New  York.  In  that  city  he  studied  his 
profession,  and  in  eighteen  hundred  and  three 
began  its  practice  in  an  office  near  Contoit's 
Hotel,  opposite  the  City  Park.  One  day  he 


ANTONIA    AND   ISABEL.  15 

was  summoned  there  to  attend  a  sick  man. 
His  patient  proved  to  be  Don  Jaime  Urrea, 
and  the  rich  Mexican  grandee  conceived  a 
warm  friendship  for  the  young  physician. 

At  that  very  time,  France  had  just  ceded  to 
the  United  States  the  territory  of  Louisiana, 
and  its  western  boundary  was  a  subject  about 
which  Americans  were  then  angrily  disputing. 
They  asserted  that  it  was  the  Rio  Grande ;  but 
Spain,  who  naturally  did  not  want  Americans 
so  near  her  own  territory,  denied  the  claim, 
and  made  the  Sabine  River  the  dividing  line. 
And  as  Spain  had  been  the  original  possessor 
of  Louisiana,  she  considered  herself  authority 
on  the  subject. 

The  question  was  on  every  tongue,  and  it 
was  but  natural  that  it  should  be  discussed  by 
Urrea  and  his  physician.  In  fact,  they  talked 
continually  of  the  disputed  boundary,  and  of 
Mexico.  And  Mexico  was  then  a  name  to 
conjure  by.  She  was  as  yet  a  part  of  Spain, 
and  a  sharer  in  all  her  ancient  glories.  She 
was  a  land  of  romance,  and  her  very  name 
tasted  on  the  lips,  of  gold,  and  of  silver,  and  of 
precious  stones.  Urrea  easily  persuaded  the 
young  man  to  return  to  Mexico  with  him. 


16  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

The  following  year  there  was  a  suspicious 
number  of  American  visitors  and  traders  in 
San  Antonio,  and  one  of  the  Urreas  was  sent 
with  a  considerable  number  of  troops  to  garri 
son  the  city.  For  Spain  was  well  aware  that, 
however  statesmen  might  settle  the  question, 
the  young  and  adventurous  of  the  American 
people  considered  Texas  United  States  terri 
tory,  and  would  be  well  inclined  to  take  posses 
sion  of  it  by  force  of  arms,  if  an  opportunity 
offered. 

Robert  Worth  accompanied  General  Urrea 
to  San  Antonio,  and  the  visit  was  decisive  as 
to  his  future  life.  The  country  enchanted 
him.  He  was  smitten  with  love  for  it,  as  men 
are  smitten  with  a  beautiful  face.  And  the 
white  Moorish  city  had  one  special  charm  for 
him — it  was  seldom  quite  free  from  Americans, 
Among  the  mediaeval  loungers  in  the  narrow 
streets,  it  rilled  his  heart  with  joy  to  see  at  in 
tervals  two  or  three  big  men  in  buckskin  or 
homespun.  And  he  did  not  much  wonder  that 
the  Morisco-Hispano-Mexican  feared  these 
Anglo-Americans,  and  suspected  them  of  an 
intention  to  add  Texan  to  their  names. 

His  inclination  to  remain  in  San    Antonio 


AN  T  ONI  A    AND   ISABEL.  17 

was  settled  by  his  marriage.  Dona  Maria 
Flores,  though  connected  with  the  great  Mex 
ican  families  of  Yturbide  and  Landesa,  owned 
much  property  in  San  Antonio.  She  had  beeri 
born  within  its  limits,  and  educated  in  its 
convent,  and  a  visit  to  Mexico  and  New  Or- 
leans  had  only  strengthened  her  attachment  to 
her  own  city.  She  was  a  very  pretty  woman, 
with  an  affectionate  nature,  but  she  was  not 
intellectual.  Even  in  the  convent  the  sisters 
had  not  considered  her  clever. 

But  men  often  live  very  happily  with 
commonplace  wives,  and  Robert  Worth  had 
never  regretted  that  his  Maria  did  not  play  on 
the  piano,  and  paint  on  velvet,  and  work  fine 
embroideries  for  the  altars.  They  had  passed 
nearly  twenty-six  years  together  in  more  than 
ordinary  content  and  prosperity.  Yet  no  life 
is  without  cares  and  contentions,  and  Robert 
Worth  had  had  to  face  circumstances  seve 
ral  times,  which  had  brought  the  real  man  to 
the  front. 

The  education  of  his  children  had  been  such 
a  crisis.  He  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
and  for  them  he  anticipated  a  wider  and 
grander  career  than  he  had  chosen  for  himself* 


1 8  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

When  his  eldest  child,  Thomas,  had  reached 
the  age  of  fourteen,  he  determined  to  send  him 
to  New  York.  He  spoke  to  Dona  Maria  of  this 
intention.  He  described  Columbia  to  her  with 
all  the  affectionate  pride  of  a  student  for  his 
alma  mater.  The  boy's  grandmother  also  still 
lived  in  the  home  wherein  he  himself  had 
grown  to  manhood.  His  eyes  filled  with  tears 
when  he  remembered  the  red  brick  house  in 
Canal  Street,  with  its  white  door  and  dormer 
windows,  and  its  one  cherry  tree  in  the  strip 
of  garden  behind. 

But  Dona  Maria's  national  and  religious 
principles,  or  rather  prejudices,  were  very 
strong.  She  regarded  the  college  of  San  Juan 
de  Lateran  in  Mexico  as  the  fountain-head  of 
knowledge.  Her  confessor  had  told  her  so. 
All  the  Yturbides  and  Landesas  had  graduated 
at  San  Juan. 

But  the  resolute  father  would  have  none  of 
San  Juan.  "  I  know  all  about  it,  Maria,"  he 
said.  "  They  will  teach  Thomas  Latin  very 
thoroughly.  They  will  make  him  proficient  in 
theology  and  metaphysics.  They  will  let  him 
dabble  in  algebra  and  Spanish  literature ;  and 
with  great  pomp,  they  will  give  him  his  degree. 


AN  TON  I  A    AND    ISA  DEL.  19 

and  *  the  power  of  interpreting  Aristotle  all 
over  the  world.'  What  kind  of  an  education 
is  that,  for  a  man  who  may  have  to  fight  the 
battles  of  life  in  this  century  ?  " 

And  since  the  father  carried  his  point  it  is 
immaterial  what  precise  methods  he  used. 
Men  are  not  fools  even  in  a  contest  with  wo 
men.  They  usually  get  their  own  way,  if  they 
take  the  trouble  to  go  wisely  and  kindly  about 
it.  Two  years  afterwards,  Antonia  followed 
her  brother  to  New  York,  and  this  time,  the 
mother  made  less  opposition.  Perhaps  she 
divined  that  opposition  would  have  been  still 
more  useless  than  in  the  case  of  the  boy.  For 
Robert  Worth  had  one  invincible  determina 
tion  ;  it  was,  that  this  beautiful  child,  who  so 
much  resembled  a  mother  whom  he  idolized, 
should  be,  during  the  most  susceptible  years  of 
her  life,  under  that  mother's  influence. 

And  he  was  well  repaid  for  the  self-denial 
her  absence  entailed,  when  Antonia  came  back 
to  him,  alert,  self-reliant,  industrious,  an  intel 
ligent  and  responsive  companion,  a  neat  and 
capable  housekeeper,  who  insensibly  gave  to 
his  home  that  American  air  it  lacked,  and  who 
set  upon  his  table  the  well-cooked  meats  and 


20  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

delicate  dishes  which  he  had  often  longed 
for. 

John,  the  youngest  boy,  was  still  in  New 
York  finishing  his  course  of  study  ;  but  regard 
ing  Isabel,  there  seemed  to  be  a  tacit  relin- 
quishment  of  the  purpose,  so  inflexibly  carried 
out  with  her  brothers  and  sister.  Isabel  was 
entirely  different  from  them.  Her  father  had 
watched  her  carefully,  and  come  to  the  convic< 
tion  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  make  her 
nature  take  the  American  mintage.  She  was 
as  distinctly  Iberian  as  Antonia  was  Anglo- 
American. 

In  her  brothers  the  admixture  of  races  had 
been  only  as  alloy  to  metal.  Thomas  Worth 
was  but  a  darker  copy  of  his  father.  John  had 
the  romance  and  sensitive  honor  of  old  Spain, 
mingled  with  the  love  of  liberty,  and  the  practi 
cal  temper,  of  those  Worths  who  had  defied  both 
Charles  the  First  and  George  the  Third.  But 
Isabel  had  no  soul-kinship  with  her  father's 
people.  Robert  Worth  had  seen  in  the  Ytur- 
bide  residencia  in  Mexico  the  family  portraits 
which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  Cas 
tile.  Isabel  was  the  Yturbide  of  her  day. 
She  had  all  their  physical  traits,  and  from  her 


ANTONIA   AND  ISABEL.  21 

large  golden-black  eyes  the  same  passionate 
soul  looked  forth.  He  felt  that  it  would  be 
utter  cruelty  to  send  her  among  people  who 
must  always  be  strangers  to  her. 

So  Isabel  dreamed  away  her  childhood  at 
her  mother's  side,  or  with  the  sisters  in  the 
convent,  learning  from  them  such  simple  and 
useless  matters  as  they  considered  necessary 
for  a  damosel  of  family  and  fortune.  On  the 
night  of  the  Sefiora  Valdez's  reception,  she 
had  astonished  every  one  by  the  adorable 
grace  of  her  dancing,  and  the  captivating  way 
in  which  she  used  her  fan.  Her  fingers  touched 
the  guitar  as  if  they  had  played  it  for  a  thou 
sand  years.  She  sang  a  Spanish  Romancero 
of  El  mio  Cid  with  all  the  fire  and  tenderness 
of  a  Castilian  maid. 

Her  father  watched  her  with  troubled  eyes. 
He  almost  felt  as  if  he  had  no  part  in  her. 
And  the  thought  gave  him  an  unusual  anxiety, 
for  he  knew  this  night  that  the  days  were  fast 
approaching  which  would  test  to  extremity  the 
affection  which  bound  his  family  together. 
He  contrived  to  draw  Antonia  aside  for  a  few 
moments. 

"  Is  she  not  wonderful  ?  "  he  asked.     "  When 


22  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

did  she  learn  these  things  ?  I  mean  me  way 
in  which  she  does  them  ?  " 

Isabel  was  dancing  La  Cachoucha,  and  An- 
tonia  looked  at  her  little  sister  with  eyes  full 
of  loving  speculation.  Her  answer  dropped 
slowly  from  her  lips,  as  if  a  conviction  was 
reluctantly  expressed  : 

"  The  way  must  be  a  gift  from  the  past — 
her  soul  has  been  at  school  before  she  was 
born  here.  Father,  are  you  troubled  ?  What 
is  it  ?  Not  Isabel,  surely  ?  " 

"  Not  Isabel,  primarily.  Antonia,  I  have 
been  expecting  something  for  twenty  years. 
It  is  coming." 

"  And  you  are  sorry  ?  " 

"  I  am  anxious,  that  is  all.  Go  back  to  the 
dancers.  In  the  morning  we  can  talk." 

In  the  morning  the  doctor  was  called  very 
early  by  some  one  needing  his  skill.  Antonia 
heard  the  swift  footsteps  and  eager  voices, 
and  watched  him  mount  the  horse  always  kept 
ready  saddled  for  such  emergencies,  and  ride 
away  with  the  messenger.  The  incident  in 
itself  was  a  usual  one,  but  she  was  conscious 
that  her  soul  was  moving  uneasily  and  question- 
ingly  in  some  new  and  uncertain  atmosphere. 


ANTONIA   AND   ISABEL.  23 

She  had  felt  it  on  her  first  entrance  into 
Seftora  Valdez's  gran  sala — a  something  irre 
pressible  in  the  faces  of  all  the  men  present. 
She  remembered  that  even  the  servants  had 
been  excited,  and  that  they  stood  in  small 
groups,  talking  with  suppressed  passion  and 
with  much  demonstrativeness.  And  the  offi 
cers  from  the  Alamo  !  How  conscious  they 
had  been  of  their  own  importance !  What  airs 
of  condescension  and  of  an  almost  insufferable 
protection  they  had  assumed  !  Now,  that  she 
recalled  the  faces  of  Judge  Valdez,  and  other 
men  of  years  and  position,  she  understood  that 
there  had  been  in  them  something  out  of  tone 
with  the  occasion.  In  the  atmosphere  of  the 
festa  she  had  only  felt  it.  In  the  solitude  of 
her  room  she  could  apprehend  its  nature. 

For  she  had  been  born  during  those  stormy 
days  when  Magee  and  Bernardo,  with  twelve 
hundred  Americans,  first  flung  the  banner  of 
Texan  independence  to  the  wind  ;  when  the 
fall  of  Nacogdoches  sent  a  thrill  of  sympathy 
through  the  United  States,  and  enabled  Cos 
and  Toledo,  and  the  other  revolutionary  gen 
erals  in  Mexico,  to  carry  their  arms  against 
Old  Spain  to  the  very  doors  of  the  vice-royal 


24  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

palace.  She  had  heard  from  her  father  many 
a  time  the  whole  brave,  brilliant  story — the 
same  story  which  has  been  made  in  all  ages 
from  the  beginning  of  time.  Only  the  week 
before,  they  had  talked  it  over  as  they  sat  under 
the  great  fig-tree  together. 

"  History  but  repeats  itself,"  the  doctor  had 
said  then  ;  "  for  when  the  Mexicans  drove  the 
Spaniards,  with  their  court  ceremonies,  their 
monopolies  and  taxes,  back  to  Spain,  they 
were  just  doing  what  the  American  colonists 
did,  when  they  drove  the  English  royalists 
back  to  England.  It  was  natural,  too,  that  the 
Americans  should  help  the  Mexicans,  for,  at 
first,  they  were  but  a  little  band  of  patriots  ; 
and  the  American-Saxon  has  like  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  an  irresistible  impulse  to  help  the  weaker 
side.  And  oh,  Antonia !  The  cry  of  Free 
dom  !  Who  that  has  a  soul  can  resist  it  ?  " 

She  remembered  this  conversation  as  she 
stood  in  the  pallid  dawning,  and  watched  her 
father  ride  swiftly  away.  The  story  of  the 
long  struggle  in  all  its  salient  features  flashed 
through  her  mind  ;  and  she  understood  that  it 
is  not  the  sword  alone  that  gives  liberty — that 
there  must  be  patience  before  courage  ;  that 


AN  TON  I  A    AND  ISABEL.  25 

great  ideas  must  germinate  for  years  in  the 
hearts  of  men  before  the  sword  can  reap  the 
harvest. 

The  fascinating  memory  of  Burr  passed  like 
a  shadow  across  her  dreaming.  The  hand 
some  Lafayettes — the  gallant  Nolans — the  dar 
ing  Hunters  —  the  thousands  of  forgotten 
American  traders  and  explorers — bold  and  en 
terprising — they  had  sown  the  seed.  For  great 
ideas  are  as  catching  as  evil  ones.  A  Mexican, 
with  the  iron  hand  of  Old  Spain  upon  him  and 
the  shadow  of  the  Inquisition  over  him,  could 
not  look  into  the  face  of  an  American,  and  not 
feel  the  thought  of  Freedom  stirring  in  his 
heart. 

It  stirred  in  her  own  heart.  She  stood  still 
a  moment  to  feel  consciously  the  glow  and  the 
enlargement.  Then  with  an  impulse  natural, 
but  neither  analyzed  nor  understood,  she  lifted 
her  prayer-book,  and  began  to  recite  "  the  ris 
ing  prayer."  She  had  not  said  to  herself,  "  from 
the  love  of  Freedom  to  the  love  of  God,  it  is 
but  a  step,"  but  she  experienced  the  emotion 
and  felt  all  the  joy  of  an  adoration,  simple  and 
unquestioned,  springing  as  naturally  from  the 
soul  as  the  wild  flower  from  the  prairie. 


26  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

As  she  knelt,  up  rose  the  sun,  and  flooded 
her  white  figure  and  her  fair  unbound  hair  with 
the  radiance  of  the  early  morning.  The  matin 
bells  chimed  from  the  convent  and  the  churches, 
and  the  singing  birds  began  to  flutter  their 
bright  wings,  and  praise  God  also,  "  in  theii 
Latin." 

She  took  her  breakfast  alone.  The  Seftora 
never  came  downstairs  so  early.  Isabel  had 
wavering  inclinations,  and  generally  followed 
them.  Sometimes,  even  her  father  had  his  cup 
of  strong  coffee  alone  in  his  study;  so  the  first 
meal  of  the  day  was  usually,  as  perhaps  it 
ought  to  be,  a  selfishly-silent  one.  "  Too  much 
enthusiasm  and  chattering  at  breakfast,  are  like 
too  much  red  at  sunrise,"  the  doctor  always 
said  ;  "  a  dull,  bad  day  follows  it  " — and  Anto- 
nia's  observation  had  turned  the  little  maxim 
into  a  superstition. 

In  the  Seftora's  room,  the  precept  was  either 
denied,  or  defied.  Antonia  heard  the  laughter 
and  conversation  through  the  closed  door,  and 
easily  divined  the  subject  of  it.  It  was  but 
natural.  The  child  had  a  triumph  ;  one  that 
appealed  strongly  to  her  mother's  pride  and 
predilections.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  sec 


AN  TON  I A    AND   ISABEL.  27 

them  in  the  shaded  sunshine  exulting  them* 
selves  happily  in  it. 

The  Seftora,  plump  and  still  pretty,  reclined 
upon  a  large  gilded  bed.  Its  splendid  silk 
coverlet  and  pillows  cased  in  embroidery  and 
lace  made  an  effective  background  for  her. 
She  leaned  with  a  luxurious  indolence  among 
them,  sipping  chocolate  and  smoking  a  cigar- 
rito.  Isabel  was  on  a  couch  of  the  same  de 
scription.  She  wore  a  satin  petticoat,  and  a 
loose  linen  waist  richly  trimmed  with  lace.  It 
showed  her  beautiful  shoulders  and  arms  to 
perfection.  Her  hands  were  folded  above  her 
head.  Her  tiny  feet,  shod  in  satin,  were 
quivering  like  a  bird's  wings,  as  if  they  were 
keeping  time  with  the  restlessness  of  her  spirit. 

She  had  large  eyes,  dark  and  bright  ;  strong 
eyebrows,  a  pale  complexion  with  a  flood  of 
brilliant  color  in  the  cheeks,  dazzling  even 
teeth,  and  a  small,  handsome  mouth.  Her 
black  hair  was  loose  and  flowing,  and  caressed 
her  cheeks  and  temples  in  numberless  little 
curls  and  tendrils.  Her  face  was  one  flush  of 
joy  and  youth.  She  had  a  look  half-earnest 
and  half-childlike,  and  altogether  charming. 
Antonia  aclorecl  her,  and  she  was  pleased  to 


28  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

listen  to  the  child,  telling  over  again  the 
pretty  things  that  had  been  said  to  her. 

"  Only  Don  Luis  was  not  there  at  all,  Anto- 
nia.  There  is  always  something  wanting," 
and  her  voice  fell  with  those  sad  inflections 
that  are  often  only  the  very  excess  of  delight. 

The  Seftora  looked  sharply  at  her.  "  Don 
Luis  was  not  desirable.  He  was  better  away — 
much  better!" 

"But  why?" 

"  Because,  Antonia,  he  is  suspected.  There 
is  an  American  called  Houston.  Don  Luis  met 
him  in  Nacogdoches.  He  has  given  his  soul  to 
him,  I  think.  He  would  have  fought  Morello 
about  him,  if  the  captain  could  have  drawn  his 
sword  in  such  a  quarrel.  I  should  not  have 
known  about  the  affair  had  not  Seftora  Valdez 
told  me.  Your  father  says  nothing  against 
the  Americans." 

"  Perhaps,  then,  he  knows  nothing  against 
them." 

"You  will  excuse  me,  Antonia;  not  only  the 
living  but  the  dead  must  have  heard  of  their 
wickedness.  They  are  a  nation  of  ingrates, 
Ingrates  are  cowards.  It  was  these  words 
Captain  Morello  said,  when  Don  Luis  drew  his 


ANTONIA    AND  ISABEL.  29 

rword,  made  a  circle  with  its  point  and  stood  it 
upright  in  the  centre.  It  was  a  challenge  to 
the  whole  garrison,  and  about  this  fellow  Hous 
ton,  whom  he  calls  his  friend !  Holy  Virgin 
preserve  us  from  such  Mexicans!  " 

"  It  is  easier  to  talk  than  to  fight.  Morel- 
lo's  tongue  is  sharper  than  his  sword." 

"  Captain  Morello  was  placing  his  sword  be. 
side  that  of  Don  Luis,  when  the  Commandant 
interfered.  He  would  not  permit  his  officers 
to  fight  in  such  a  quarrel.  '  Santo  Dios  ! '  he 
said,  *  you  shall  all  have  your  opportunity  very 
soon,  gentlemen.'  Just  reflect  upon  the  folly 
of  a  boy  like  Don  Luis,  challenging  a  soldier 
like  Morello  !  " 

"  He  was  in  no  danger,  mother,  "  said  An- 
tonia  scornfully.  "  Morello  is  a  bully,  who 
wears  the  pavement  out  with  his  spurs  and 
sabre.  His  weapons  are  for  show.  Ameri 
cans,  at  least,  wear  their  arms  for  use,  and  not 
for  ornament." 

"  Listen,  Antonia !  I  will  not  have  them 
spoken  of.  They  are  Jews — or  at  least  in 
fidels,  all  of  them  !— the  devil  himself  is  their 
father — the  bishop,  when  he  was  here  last 
confirmation,  told  me  so." 


30  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

"  Mother !  " 

"  At  least  they  are  unbaptized  Christians, 
Antonia.  If  you  are  not  baptized,  the  devil 
sends  you  to  do  his  work.  As  for  Don  Luis, 
he  is  a  very  Judas!  Ah,  Maria  Santissima ! 
how  I  do  pity  his  good  mother!  " 

"  Poor  Don  Luis!  "said  Isabel  plaintively. 
"  He  is  so  handsome,  and  he  sings  like  a  very 
angel.  And  he  loves  my  father  ;  he  wanted  to 
be  a  doctor,  so  that  he  could  always  be  with 
him.  I  dare  say  this  man  called  Houston  is 
no  better  than  a  Jew,  and  perhaps  very  ugly 
beside.  Let  us  talk  no  more  about  him  and 
the  Americans.  I  am  weary  of  them  ;  as  Tia 
Rachella  says,  '  they  have  their  spoon  in  every 
one's  mess.'  ' 

And  Antonia,  whose  heart  was  burning,  only 
stooped  down  and  closed  her  sister's  pretty 
mouth  with  a  kiss.  Her  tongue  was  impatient 
to  speak  for  the  father,  and  grandmother,  and 
the  friends,  so  dear  to  her ;  but  she  possessed 
great  discretion,  and  also  a  large  share  of  that 
rarest  of  all  womanly  graces,  the  power  under 
provocation,  of  "  putting  on  Patience  the 
noble." 


CHAPTER   III. 
BUILDERS  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH 

"  Methinks  I  see  in  my  mind  a  noble  and  puissant  na« 
tion  rousing  herself  like  a  strong  man  after  sleep  and 
shaking  her  invincible  locks.  Methinks  I  see  her  as  an 
eagle  mewing  her  mighty  youth  and  kindling  her  un- 
dazzled  eye  in  the  full  mid-day  beam." — MILTON. 

"  And  from  these  grounds,  concluding  as  we  doe, 
Warres  causes  diuerse,  so  by  consequence 

Diuerse  we  must  conclude  their  natures  too  : 
For  war  proceeding  from  Omnipotence, 

No  doubt  is  holy,  wise,  and  without  error ; 
The  sword,  of  justice  and  of  sin,  the  terror." 

— LORD  BROOKE. 

IT  is  the  fashion  now  to  live  for  the  present ; 
but  the  men  of  fifty  years  ago,  the  men 
who  builded  the  nation,  they  reverenced  the 
past,  and  therefore  they  could  work  for  the 
future.  As  Robert  Worth  rode  through  the 
streets  of  San  Antonio  that  afternoon,  he  was 
thinking,  not  of  his  own  life,  but  of  his  chil 
dren's  and  of  the  generations  which  should 
come  after  them. 

The    city    was    flooded    with    sunshine,  and 
31 


32  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

crowded  with  a  pack-train  going  to  Sonora ; 
the  animals  restlessly  protesting  against  the 
heat  and  flies ;  their  Mexican  drivers  in  the 
pulqueria,  spending  their  last  peso  with  their 
compadres,  or  with  the  escort  of  soldiers  which 
was  to  accompany  them — a  little  squad  of 
small,  lithe  men,  with  round,  yellow,  beardless 
faces,  bearing  in  a  singular  degree  the  stamp  of 
being  native  to  the  soil.  Their  lieutenant,  a 
gorgeously  clad  officer  with  a  very  distinguished 
air,  was  coming  slowly  down  the  street  to  join 
them.  He  bowed,  and  smiled  pleasantly  to  the 
doctor  as  he  passed  him,  and  then  in  a  few 
moments  the  word  of  command  and  the  shout- 
ine  of  men  and  the  clatter  of  hoofs  invaded 

o 

the  enchanted  atmosphere  like  an  insult. 

But  the  tumult  scarcely  jarred  with  the 
thoughts  of  his  mind.  They  had  been  alto 
gether  of  war  and  rumors  of  war.  Every  hour 
that  subtile  consciousness  of  coming  events, 
which  makes  whole  communities  at  times 
prescient,  was  becoming  stronger.  "  If  the 
powers  of  the  air  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
destinies  of  men,"  he  muttered,  "there  must 
be  unseen  battalions  around  me.  The  air  I  am 
breathing  is  charged  with  the  feeling  of  battle." 


BUILDERS   OF    THE    COMMONWEALTH.     33 

After  leaving  the  city  there  were  only  a  few 
Mexican  huts  on  the  shady  road  leading  to  his 
own  house.  All  within  them  were  asleep,  even 
the  fighting  cocks  tied  outside  were  dozing  on 
their  perches.  He  was  unusually  weary,  he 
had  been  riding  since  dawn,  and  his  heart  had 
not  been  in  sympathy  with  his  body,  it  had 
said  no  good  cheer  to  it,  whispered  no  word  of 
courage  or  promise. 

All  at  once  his  physical  endurance  seemed 
exhausted,  and  he  saw  the  white  wall  and 
arched  gateway  of  his  garden  and  the  turrets 
of  his  home  with  an  inexpressible  relief.  But 
it  was  the  hour  of  siesta,  and  he  was  always 
careful  not  to  let  the  requirements  of  his  pro 
fession  disturb  his  household.  So  he  rode 
quietly  to  the  rear,  where  he  found  a  peon  nod 
ding  within  the  stable  door.  He  opened  his 
eyes  unnaturally  wide,  and  rose  to  serve  his 
master. 

"  See  thou  rub  the  mare  well  down,  and  give 
her  corn  and  water." 

"  To  be  sure,  Seftor,  that  is  to  be  done.  A 
stranger  has  been  here  to-day  ;  an  America^." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  thee?  " 

"That  he  would  call  again,  Seftor." 


34  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

The  incident  was  not  an  unusual  one,  and  it 
did  not  trouble  the  doctor's  mind.  There  was 
on  the  side  of  the  house  a  low  extension  con 
taining  two  rooms.  These  rooms  belonged  ex 
clusively  to  him.  One  was  his  study,  his  office, 
his  covert,  the  place  to  which  he  went  when  he 
wanted  to  be  alone  with  his  own  soul.  There 
were  a  bed  and  bath  and  refreshments  in  the 
other  room.  He  went  directly  to  it,  and  after 
eating  and  washing,  fell  into  a  profound 
sleep. 

At  the  hour  before  Angelus  the  house  was  as 
noisy  and  busy  as  if  it  had  been  an  inn.  The 
servants  were  running  hither  and  thither,  all 
of  them  expressing  themselves  in  voluble 
Spanish.  The  cooks  were  quarrelling  in  the 
kitchen.  Antonia  was  showing  the  table  men, 
as  she  had  to  do  afresh  every  day,  how  to  lay 
the  cloth  and  serve  the  dishes  in  the  American 
fashion.  When  the  duty  was  completed,  she 
went  into  the  garden  to  listen  for  the  Angelus. 
The  young  ladies  of  to-clay  would  doubtless 
consider  her  toilet  frightfully  unbecoming;  but 
Antonia  looked  lovely  in  it,  though  but  a  white 
muslin  frock,  with  a  straight  skirt  and  low  waist 
and  short,  full  sleeves.  It  was  confined  by  a 


BUILDERS  OF    THE   COMMONWEALTH.     35 

blue  belt  with  a  gold  buckle,  and  her  feet  were 
tn  sandalled  slippers  of  black  satin. 

The  Angelus  tolled,  and  the  thousands  of 
Hail  Maries !  which  blended  with  its  swinging 
vibrations  were  uttered,  and  left  to  their  fate, 
as  all  spoken  words  must  be.  Antonia  still 
observed  the  form.  It  lent  for  a  moment  a 
solemn  beauty  to  her  face.  She  was  about  to 
re-enter  the  house,  when  she  saw  a  stranger  ap 
proaching  it.  He  was  dressed  in  a  handsome 
buckskin  suit,  and  a  wide  Mexican  hat,  but  she 
knew  at  once  that  he  was  an  American,  and 
die  waited  to  receive  him. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  her,  he  removed  his  hat 
and  approached  with  it  in  his  hand.  Perhaps 
he  was  conscious  that  the  act  not  only  did 
homage  to  womanhood,  but  revealed  more  per 
fectly  a  face  of  remarkable  beauty  and  nobility. 
For  the  rest,  he  was  very  tall,  powerfully  built, 
elegantly  proportioned,  and  his  address  had  the 
grace  and  polish  of  a  cultured  gentleman. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Dr.  Worth,  Dona." 

With  a  gentle  inclination  of  the  head,  she 
led  him  to  the  door  of  her  father's  office.  She 
tyas  the  only  one  in  the  Doctor's  family  at  all 
lamiliar  with  the  room.  The  Sefiora  said  so 


3&  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

many  books  made  her  feel  as  if  she  were  in  a 
church  or  monastery  ;  she  was  afraid  to  say 
anything  but  paternosters  in  it.  Isabel  cow 
ered  before  the  poor  skeleton  in  the  corner, 
and  the  centipedes  and  snakes  that  rilled  the 
bottles  on  the  shelves.  There  was  not  a  ser 
vant  that  would  enter  the  room. 

But  Antonia  did  not  regard  books  as  a  part 
of  some  vague  spiritual  power.  She  knew  the 
history  of  the  skeleton.  She  had  seen  the  death 
of  many  of  those  "little  devils"  corked  up  in 
alcohol.  She  knew  that  at  this  hour,  if  her 
father  were  at  home  he  was  always  disengaged, 
and  she  opened  the  door  fearlessly,  saying, 
"  Father,  here  is  a  gentleman  who  wishes  to 
see  you." 

The  doctor  had  quite  refreshed  himself,  and, 
in  a  house-suit  of  clean,  white  linen,  was  lying 
on  a  couch  reading.  He  arose  with  alacrity,  and 
with  his  pleasant  smile  seemed  to  welcome  the 
intruder,  as  he  stepped  behind  him  and  closed 
the  door.  Antonia  had  disappeared.  They 
were  quite  alone. 

"You  are  Doctor  Robert  Worth,  sir?" 

Their  eyes  met,  their  souls  knew  each  other 

"And  you  are  Sam  Houston?  " 


BUILDERS   OF    THE   COMMONWEALTH.     37 

The  questions  were  answered  in  a  hand  grip, 
a  sympathetic  smile  on  both  faces — the  free- 
masonry  of  kindred  spirits. 

"  I  have  a  letter  from  your  son  Thomas, 
doctor,  and  I  think,  also,  that  you  will  have 
something  to  say  to  me,  and  I  to  you." 

The  most  prudent  of  patriots  could  not  have 
resisted  this  man.  He  had  that  true  imperial 
look  which  all  born  rulers  of  men  possess — that 
look  that  half  coerces,  and  wholly  persuades. 
Robert  Worth  acknowledged  its  power  by  his 
instant  and  decisive  answer. 

"  I  have,  indeed,  much  to  say  to  you.  We 
shall  have  dinner  directly,  then  you  will  give 
the  night  to  me?  " 

After  a  short  conversation  he  led  him  into 
the  sala  and  introduced  him  to  Antonia.  He 
himself  had  to  prepare  the  Seflora  for  her  vis 
itor,  and  he  had  a  little  quaking  of  the  heart 
as  he  entered  her  room.  She  was  dressed  for 
dinner,  and  turned  with  a  laughing  face  to 
meet  him. 

"  I  have  been  listening  to  the  cooks  quarrel 
ling  over  the  olla,  Roberto.  But  what  can  my 
poor  Manuel  say  when  your  Irishwoman  at 
tacks  him.  Listen  to  her!  'Take  your  dirty 


38  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

stew  aff  the  fire  then !  Shure  it  isn't  fit  for  a 
Christian  to  ate  at  all  !  ' 

"  I  hope  it  is,  Maria,  for  we  have  a  visitor 
to-night." 

"  Who,  then,  my  love?" 

"Mr.  Houston." 

"  Sam  Houston  ?  Holy  Virgin  of  Guadalupe 
preserve  us  !  I  will  not  see  the  man." 

"  I  think  you  will,  Maria.  He  has  brought 
this  letter  for  you  from  our  son  Thomas;  and 
he  has  been  so  kind  as  to  take  charge  of  some 
fine  horses,  and  sell  them  well  for  him  in  San 
Antonio.  When  a  man  does  us  a  kindness,  we 
should  say  thank  you." 

"  That  is  truth,  if  the  man  is  not  the  Evil 
One.  As  for  this  Sam  Houston,  you  should 
have  heard  what  was  said  of  him  at  the  Valdez's." 

"  I  did  hear.     Everything  was  a  lie." 

"  But  he  is  a  very  common  man." 

"  Maria,  do  you  call  a  soldier,  a  lawyer,  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Congress,  a  gov 
ernor  of  a  great  State  like  Tennessee,  a  common 
man?  Houston  has  been  all  of  these  things." 

"  It  is,  however,  true  that  he  has  lived  with 
Indians,  and  with  those  Americans,  who  are 
bad,  who  have  no  God,  who  are  infidels,  and 


BUILDERS   OF   THE   COMMONWEALTPI.     3* 

perhaps  even  cannibals.  If  he  is  a  good 
man,  why  does  he  live  with  bad  men  ?  Not 
even  the  saints  could  do  that.  A  good,  man 
should  be  in  his  home.  Why  does  he  not  stay 
at  home." 

"  Alas  !  Maria,  that  is  a  woman's  fault.  He 
loved  a  beautiful  girl.  He  married  her.  My 
dear  one,  she  did  not  bless  his  life  as  you  have 
blessed  mine.  No  one  knows  what  his  sorrow 
was,  for  he  told  no  one.  And  he  never  blamed 
her,  only  he  left  his  high  office  and  turned  his 
back  forever  on  his  home." 

"  Ah  !  the  cruel  woman.  Holy  Virgin,  what 
hard  hearts  thou  hast  to  pray  for !  " 

''Comedown  and  smile  upon  him,  Maria.  I 
should  like  him  to  see  a  high-born  Mexican 
lady.  Are  they  not  the  kindest  and  fairest 
among  all  God's  women?  I  know,  at  least, 
Maria,  that  you  are  kind  and  fair";  and  he 
took  her  hands,  and  drew  her  within  his  em 
brace. 

What  good  wife  can  resist  her  husband's 
wooing?  Maria  did  not.  She  lifted  her  face, 
her  eyes  shone  through  happy  tears,  she  whis 
pered  softly:  "  My  Robert,  it  is  a  joy  to  pleast 
you.  I  will  be  kind ;  I  will  be  grateful  about 


4*  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

Thomas,  You  shall  see  that  I  will  make  a 
pleasant  evening." 

So  the  triumphant  husband  went  down, 
proud  and  happy,  with  his  smiling  wife  upon 
his  arm.  Isabel  was  already  in  the  room. 
She  also  wore  a  white  frock,  but  her  hair  was 
pinned  back  with  gold  butterflies,  and  she  had 
a  beautiful  golden  necklace  around  her  throat. 
And  the  Sefiora  kept  her  word.  She  paid  her 
guest  great  attention.  She  talked  to  him  of 
his  adventures  with  the  Indians.  She  request 
ed  her  daughters  to  sing  to  him.  She  told 
him  stories  of  the  old  Castilian  families  with 
which  she  was  connected,  and  described  her 
visit  to  New  Orleans  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasant  humor.  She  felt  that  she  was  doing 
herself  justice  ;  that  she  was  charming ;  and,  con 
sequently,  she  also  was  charmed  with  the  guest 
and  the  occasion  which  had  been  so  favorable 
to  her. 

After  the  ladies  had  retired,  the  doctor  led 
his  visitor  into  his  study.  He  sat  down  silently 
and  placed  a  chair  for  Houston.  Both  men 
hesitated  for  a  moment  to  open  the  conversa 
tion.  Worth,  because  he  was  treading  on  un 
known  ground  ;  Houston,  because  he  did  not 


BUILDERS  OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH.    4« 

wish  to  force,  even  by  a  question,  a  resolution 
which  he  felt  sure  would  come  voluntarily. 

The  jar  of  tobacco  stood  between  them,  and 
they  filled  their  pipes  silently.  Then  Worth 
laid  a  letter  upon  the  table,  and  said  :  "  I  un- 
stand  from  this,  that  my  son  Thomas  thinks 
the  time  has  come  for  decisive  action." 

'*  Thomas  Worth  is  right.  With  such  souls 
as  his  the  foundation  of  the  state  must  be  laid." 

"  I  am  glad  Thomas  has  taken  the  position 
he  has ;  but  you  must  remember,  sir,  that  he  is 
unmarried  and  unembarrassed  by  many  circum 
stances  which  render  decisive  movement  on 
my  part  a  much  more  difficult  thing.  Yet  no 
man  now  living  has  watched  the  Americanizing 
of  Texas  with  the  interest  that  I  have." 

"  You  have  been  long  on  the  watch,  sir." 

"  I  was  here  when  my  countrymen  came  first, 
in  little  companies  of  five  or  ten  men.  I  saw 
the  party  of  twenty,  who  joined  the  priest 
Hidalgo  in  eighteen  hundred  and  ten,  when 
Mexico  made  her  first  attempt  to  throw  off  the 
Spanish  yoke." 

"  An  unsuccessful  attempt." 

"  Yes.  The  next  year  I  made  a  pretended 
professional  journey  to  Chihuahua,  to  try  and 


42  REMEMBER    THE 

save  their  lives.      I   failed.     They  were  shot 
with  Hidalgo  there." 

"  Yet  the  strife  for  liberty  went  on." 
"  It  did.  Two  years  afterwards,  Magee  and 
Bernardo,  with  twelve  hundred  Americans, 
raised  the  standard  of  independence  on  the 
Trinity  River.  I  saw  them  them  take  this  very 
city,  though  it  was  ably  defended  by  Salcedo. 
They  fought  like  heroes.  I  had  many  of  the 
wounded  in  my  house.  I  succored  them  with 
my  purse." 

"  It  was  a  great  deed  for  a  handful  of  men." 
"  The  fame  of  it  brought  young  Americans 
by  hundreds  here.  To  a  man  they  joined  the 
Mexican  party  struggling  to  free  themselves 
from  the  tyranny  of  old  Spain.  I  do  not  think 
any  one  of  them  received  money.  The  love  of 
freedom  and  the  love  of  adventure  were  alike 
their  motive  and  their  reward." 

"  Mexico  owed  these  men  a  debt  she  has  for- 
gotten." 

"  She  forgot  it  very  quickly.  In  the  follow, 
ing  year,  though  they  had  again  defended  San 
Antonio  against  the  Spaniards,  the  Mexicans 
drove  all  the  Americans  out  of  the  city  their 
rifles  had  savet< 


BUILDERS  OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH,    43 

"You  were  here;  tell  me  the  true  reason." 

"  It  was  not  altogether  ingratitude.  It  was 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation.  The  very 
bravery  of  the  Americans  made  the  men  whom 
they  had  defended  hate  and  fear  them  ;  and 
there  was  a  continual  influx  of  young  men  from 
the  States.  The  Mexicans  said  to  each  other : 
*  There  is  no  end  to  these  Americans.  Very 
soon  they  will  make  a  quarrel  and  turn  their 
arms  against  us.  They  do  not  conform  to  our 
customs,  and  they  will  not  take  an  order  from 
any  officer  but  their  own.'  ' 

Houston  smiled.  "  It  is  a  way  the  Saxon 
race  has,"  he  said.  "  The  old  Britons  made 
the  same  complaint  of  them.  They  went  first 
to  England  to  help  the  Britons  fight  the 
Romans,  and  they  liked  the  country  so  well, 
they  determined  to  stay  there.  If  I  remember 
rightly  the  old  Britons  had  to  let  them  do  so." 

"  It  is  an  old  political  situation.  You  can 
go  back  to  Genesis  and  find  Pharaoh  arguing 
about  the  Jews  in  the  same  manner." 

"  What  happened  after  this  forcible  expulsion 
of  the  American  element  from  Texas  ?  " 

44  Mexican  independence  was  for  a  time 
abandoned,  and  the  Spanish  viceroys  were 


44  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

more  tyrannical  than  ever.  But  Americans  still 
came,  though  they  pursued  different  tactics. 
They  bought  land  and  settled  on  the  great 
rivers.  In  eighteen  twenty-one,  Austin,  with 
the  permission  of  the  Spanish  viceroy  in  Mexico, 
introduced  three  hundred  families." 

"  That  was  a  step  in  the  right  direction  ;  but 
I  am  astonished  the  viceroy  sanctioned  it." 

"  Apodoca,  who  was  then  viceroy,  was  a 
Spaniard  of  the  proudest  type.  He  had  very 
much  the  same  contempt  for  the  Mexicans 
that  an  old  English  viceroy  in  New  York  had 
for  the  colonists  he  was  sent  to  govern.  I  dare 
say  any  of  them  would  have  permitted  three 
hundred  German  families  to  settle  in  some 
part  of  British  America,  as  far  from  New  York 
as  Texas  is  from  Mexico.  I  do  not  need  to 
tell  you  that  Austin's  colonists  are  a  band  of 
choice  spirits,  hardy  working  men,  trained  in 
the  district  schools  of  New  England  and  New 
York — nearly  every  one  of  them  a  farmer  or 
mechanic.** 

"  They  were  the  very  material  liberty 
needed.  They  have  made  homes." 

"  That  is  the  truth.  The  fighters  who  pre 
ceded  them  owned  nothing  but  their  horses 


BUILDERS  OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH.     45 

aivci  their  rifles.  But  these  men  brought  with 
them  their  wives  and  their  children,  their 
civilization,  their  inborn  love  of  freedom  and 
national  faith.  They  accepted  the  guarantee 
of  the  Spanish  government,  and  they  expected 
the  Spanish  government  to  keep  its  promises." 

"If did  not." 

"  It  had  no  opportunity.  The  colonists  were 
hardly  settled  when  the  standard  of  revolt 
against  Spain  was  again  raised.  Santa  Anna 
took  the  field  for  a  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment,  and  once  more  a  body  of  Americans, 
under  the  Tennesseean,  Long,  joined  the  Mexi 
can  army." 

"  I  remember  that,  well." 

"  In  eighteen  twenty-four,  Santa  Anna,  Vic- 
toria  and  Bravo  drove  the  Spaniards  forever 
from  Mexico,  and  then  they  promulgated  the 
famous  constitution  of  eighteen  twenty-four. 
It  was  a  noble  constitution,  purely  demo 
cratic  and  federal,  and  the  Texan  colonists 
to  a  man  gladly  swore  to  obey  it.  The 
form  was  altogether  elective,  and  what  par 
ticularly  pleased  the  American  element  was 
the  fact  that  the  local  government  of  every 
state  was  left  to  itself." 


46  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Houston  laughed  heartily.  "  Do  you  know, 
Worth,"  he  said,  "  State  Rights  is  our  political 
religion.  The  average  American  citizen  would 
expect  the  Almighty  to  conform  to  a  written 
constitution,  and  recognize  the  rights  of  man 
kind." 

"  I  don't  think  he  expects  more  than  he  gets, 
Houston.  Where  is  there  a  grander  consti 
tution  than  is  guaranteed  to  us  in  His  Word; 
or  one  that  more  completely  recognizes  the 
rights  of  all  humanity?" 

"  Thank  you,  Worth.  I  see  that  I  have 
spoken  better  than  I  knew.  I  was  sitting  in 
the  United  States  Congress,  when  this  con 
stitution  passed,  and  very  much  occupied  with 
the  politics  of  Tennessee." 

"  I  will  not  detain  you  with  Mexican  politics. 
It  may  be  briefly  said  that  for  the  last  ten 
years  there  has  been  a  constant  fight  between 
Pedraza,  Guerrero,  Bustamante  and  Santa 
Anna  for  the  Presidency  of  Mexico.  After  so 
much  war  and  misery  the  country  is  now 
ready  to  resign  all  the  blessings  the  constitu 
tion  of  eighteen  twenty-four  promised  her. 
For  peace  she  is  willing  to  have  a  dictator  in 
Santa  Anna." 


BUILDERS   OF   THE    COMMONWEALTH     47 

"  If  Mexicans  want  a  dictator  let  them  bow 
down  to  Santa  Anna !  But  do  you  think  the 
twenty  thousand  free-born  Americans  in  Texas 
are  going  to  have  a  dictator  ?  They  will  have 
the  constitution  of  eighteen  twenty-four — or 
they  will  have  independence,  and  make  their 
own  constitution  !  Yes,  sir  !  " 

"You  know  the  men  for  whom  you  speak?" 

"  I  have  been  up  and  down  among  them  for 
two  years.  Just  after  I  came  to  Texas  I  was 
elected  to  the  convention  which  sent  Stephen 
Austin  to  Mexico  with  a  statement  of  out 
wrongs.  Did  we  get  any  redress?  No,  sir! 
And  as  for  poor  Austin,  is  he  not  in  the  dun. 
geons  of  the  Inquisition  ?  We  have  waited 
two  years  for  an  answer.  Great  heavens ! 
Doctor,  surely  that  is  long  enough  !  " 

"  Was  this  convention  a  body  of  any  in 
fluence?  " 

"  Influence  !  There  were  men  there  whose 
names  will  never  be  forgotten.  They  met  in 
a  log  house  ;  they  wore  buckskin  and  home 
spun  ;  but  I  tell  you,  sir,  they  were  debating 
the  fate  of  unborn  millions." 

"  Two  years  since  Austin  went  to  Mexico?" 

"A  two  years'  chapter  of  tyranny.     In  them 


4  6  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

Santa  Anna  has  quite  overthrown  the  repub 
lic  of  which  we  were  a  part.  He  has  made 
himself  dictator,  and,  because  our  authorities 
have  protested  against  the  change,  they  have 
been  driven  from  office  by  a  military  force.  I 
tell  you,  sir,  the  petty  outrages  everywhere 
perpetrated  by  petty  officials  have  rilled  the 
cup  of  endurance.  It  is  boiling  over.  Now, 
doctor,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  Are  you 
with  us,  or  against  us  ?  " 

"  I  have  told  you  that  I  have  been  with 
my  countrymen  always  —  heart  and  soul  with 
them." 

The  doctor  spoke  with  some  irritation,  and 
Houston  laid  his  closed  hand  hard  upon  the 
table  to  emphasize  his  reply  : 

"Heart  and  soul!  Very  good!  But  we 
want  your  body  now.  You  must  tuck  your 
bowie-knife  and  your  revolvers  in  your  belt, 
and  take  your  rifle  in  your  hand,  and  be  ready 
to  help  us  drive  the  Mexican  force  out  of  this 
very  city." 

"  When  it  comes  to  that  I  shall  be  no 
laggard." 

But  he  was  deathly  pale,  for  he  was  suffer 
ing  as  men  suffer  who  feel  the  sweet  Knnds  of 


BUILDEltS   OF   THE    COMMONWEALTH.    49 

wife  and  children  and  home,  and  dread  the 
rending  of  them  apart.  In  a  moment,  how 
ever,  the  soul  behind  his  white  face  made 
it  visibly  luminous.  "  Houston,"  he  said, 
"  whenever  the  cause  of  freedom  needs  me,  I 
am  ready.  I  shall  want  no  second  call.  But 
is  it  not  possible,  that  even  yet — " 

"  It  is  impossible  to  avert  what  is  already 
here.  Within  a  few  days,  perhaps  to-morrow, 
you  will  hear  the  publication  of  an  edict  from 
Santa  Anna,  ordering  every  American  to  give 
up  his  arms." 

"  What !  Give  up  our  arms !  No,  no, 
by  Heaven !  I  will  die  fighting  for  mine, 
rather." 

"  Exactly.  That  is  how  every  white  man 
in  Texas  feels  about  it.  And  if  such  a  wonder 
as  a  coward  existed  among  them,  he  under 
stands  that  he  may  as  well  die  fighting  Mex 
icans,  as  die  of  hunger  or  be  scalped  by 
Indians.  A  large  proportion  of  the  colonists 
depend  on  their  rifles  for  their  daily  food. 
All  of  them  know  that  they  must  defend  their 
own  homes  from  the  Comanche,  or  see  them 
perish.  Now,  do  you  imagine  that  Americans 
will  obey  any  such  order?  By  all  the  great 


50  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

men  of  seventeen  seventy-five,  if  they  did,  I 
would  go  over  to  the  Mexicans  and  help  them 
to  wipe  the  degenerate  cowards  out  of  ex. 
istence  !  " 

He  rose  as  he  spoke ;  he  looked  like  a  flame, 
and  his  words  cut  like  a  sword.  Worth 
caught  fire  at  his  vehemence  and  passion. 
He  clasped  his  hands  in  sympathy  as  he 
walked  with  him  to  the  door.  They  stood 
silently  together  for  a  moment  on  the  thresh 
old,  gazing  into  the  night.  Over  the  glorious 
land  the  full  moon  hung  enamoured.  Into 
the  sweet,  warm  air  mockingbirds  were  pouring 
low,  broken  songs  of  ineffable  melody.  The 
white  city  in  the  mystical  light  looked  like  an 
enchanted  city.  It  was  so  still  that  the  very 
houses  looked  asleep. 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  land,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  freedom,"  answered  Hous 
ton.  Then  he  went  with  long,  swinging  steps 
down  the  garden,  and  into  the  shadows 
beyond,  and  Worth  turned  in  and  closed  the 
door. 

He  had  been  watching  for  this  very  hour 
for  twenty  years;  and  yet  he  found  himself 
wholly  unprepared  for  it.  Like  one  led  by 


BUILDERS  OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH.     51 

confused  and  uncertain  thoughts,  he  went 
about  the  room  mechanically  locking  up  his 
papers,  and  the  surgical  instruments  he  valued 
so  highly.  As  he  did  so  he  perceived  the 
book  he  had  been  reading  when  Houston 
entered.  It  was  lying  open  where  he  had  laid 
it  down.  A  singular  smile  flitted  over  his  face. 
He  lifted  it  and  carried  it  closer  to  the  light. 
It  was  his  college  Cicero. 

"  I  was  nineteen  years  old  when  I  marked 
that  passage,"  he  said  ;  "  and  I  do  not  think  I 
have  ever  read  it  since,  until  to-night.  I  was 
reading  it  when  Houston  came  into  the  room. 
Is  it  a  message,  I  wonder  ? — 

"  *  But  when  thou  considerest  everything 
carefully  and  thoughtfully ;  of  all  societies 
none  is  of  more  importance,  none  more  dear, 
than  that  which  unites  us  with  the  common 
wealth.  Our  parents,  children,  relations  and 
neighbors  are  dear,  but  our  fatherland  em 
braces  the  whole  round  of  these  endearments. 
In  its  defence,  who  would  not  dare  to  die,  it 
only  he  could  assist  it?  '  ' 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   SHINING  BANDS   OF   LOVE. 

"O  blest  be  he  !     O  blest  be  he  ! 

Let  him  all  blessings  prove, 
Who  made  the  chains,  the  shining  chains, 
The  holy  chains  of  love  !  " 

— Spanish  Ballad* 
**  If  you  love  a  lady  bright, 

Seek,  and  you  shall  find  a  way 
All  that  love  would  say,  to  say  ; 
If  you  watch  the  occasion  right." 

— Spanish  Ballad. 

IN  the  morning  Isabel  took  breakfast  with 
her  sister.  This  was  always  a  pleasant 
event  to  Antonia.  She  petted  Isabel,  she 
waited  upon  her,  sweetened  her  chocolate, 
spread  her  cakes  with  honey,  and  listened  to 
all  her  complaints  of  Tia  Rachela.  Isabel  came 
gliding  in  when  Antonia  was  about  half  way 
through  the  meal.  Her  scarlet  petticoat  was 
gorgeous,  her  bodice  white  as  snow,  her  hair 
glossy  as  a  bird's  wing,  but  her  lips  drooped 
and  trembled,  and  there  was  the  shadow  of 
tears  in  her  eyes.  Antonia  kissed  their  white 


THE   SHINING  BANDS   OF  LOVE.  53 

fringed  lids,  held  the  little  form  close  in  her 
arms,  and  fluttered  about  in  that  motherly 
way  which  Isabel  had  learned  to  demand  and 
enjoy. 

"  What  has  grieved  you  this  morning,  little 
dove  ?  " 

"  It  is  Tia  Rachela,  as  usual.  The  cross  old 
woman  !  She  is  going  to  tell  mi  madre  some 
thing.  Antonia,  you  must  make  her  keep  her 
tongue  between  her  teeth.  I  promised  her  to 
confess  to  Fray  Ignatius,  and  she  said  I  must 
also  tell  mi  madre.  I  vowed  to  say  twenty  Hail 
Marias  and  ten  Glorias,  and  she  said  *  I  ought 
to  go  back  to  the  convent.'  ' 

"  But  what  dreadful  thing  have  you  been 
doing,  Iza  ?  " 

Iza  blushed  and  looked  into  her  chocolate 
cup,  as  she  answered  slowly :  "  I  gave — a — - 
flower — away.  Only  a  suchil  flower,  Antonia, 
that — I — wore — at — my — breast — last — night.'* 

"  Whom  did  you  give  it  to,  Iza  ?  " 

Iza  hesitated,  moved  her  chair  close  to 
Antonia,  and  then  hid  her  face  on  her  sister's 
breast. 

"  But  this  is  serious,  darling.  Surely  you 
did  not  give  it  to  Seftor  Houston  ?  " 


54  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Could  you  think  I  was  so  silly  ?  When 
madre  was  talking  to  him  last  night,  and  when 
I  was  singing  my  pretty  serenade,  he  heard 
nothing  at  all.  He  was  thinking  his  own 
thoughts." 

"  Not  to  Seftor  Houston  ?  Who  then  ?  Tell 
me,  Iza." 

"  To— Don  Luis." 

"  Don  Luis  !•  But  he  is  not  here.  He  went 
to  the  Colorado." 

"  How  stupid  are  you,  Antonia  !  In  New 
York  they  did  not  teach  you  to  put  this  and 
that  together.  As  soon  as  I  saw  Seftor  Hous 
ton,  I  said  to  myself :  '  Don  Luis  was  going  to 
him  ;  very  likely  they  have  met  each  other  on 
the  road  ;  very  likely  Don  Luis  is  back  in  San 
Antonio.  He  would  not  want  to  go  away  with 
out  bidding  me  good-by,'  and,  of  course,  I 
was  right." 

"  But  when  did  you  see  him  last  night  ? 
You  never  left  the  room." 

"  So  many  things  are  possible.  My  heart 
said  to  me  when  the  talk  was  going  on,  '  Don 
Luis  is  waiting  under  the  oleanders, '  and  I 
walked  on  to  the  balcony  and  there  he  was, 
and  he  looked  so  sad,  and  I  dropped  my  suchil 


THE    SHINING  BANDS   OF  LOVE.  55 

flower  to  him;  and  Rachela  saw  me,  for  I  think 
she  has  a  million  eyes, — and  that  is  the  whole 
matter." 

"  But  why  did  not  Don  Luis  come  in  ?" 

"  Mi  madre  forbade  me  to  speak  to  him. 
That  is  the  fault  of  the  Valdez's." 

"  Then  you  disobeyed  mi  madre,  and  you 
know  what  Fray  Ignatius  and  the  Sisters  have 
taught  you  about  the  fourth  command." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  I  did  not  think  of  the  fourth 
command  !  A  sin  without  intention  has  not 
penance  ;  and  consider,  Antonia,  I  am  now  six 
teen,  and  they  would  shut  me  up  like  a  chicken 
in  its  shell.  Antonia,  sweet  Antonia,  speak 
to  Rachela,  and  make  your  little  Iza  happy. 
Fear  is  so  bad  for  me.  See,  I  do  not  even  care 
for  my  cakes  and  honey  this  morning." 

"  I  will  give  Rachela  the  blue  silk  kerchief  I 
brought  from  New  York.  She  will  forget  a 
great  deal  for  that,  and  then,  Iza,  darling,  you 
must  tell  Fray  Ignatius  of  your  sin,  because  it 
is  not  good  to  have  an  unconfessed  sin  on  the 
soul." 

"Antonia,  do  not  say  such  cruel  things.  I 
have  confessed  to  you.  Fray  Ignatius  will  give 
me  a  hard  penance.  Perhaps  he  may  say  to 


56  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO- 

mi  madre :  *  That  child  had  better  go  back  to 
the  convent.  I  say  so,  because  I  have  knowl 
edge/  And  now  I  am  tired  of  that  life  ;  I  am 
almost  a  woman,  Antonia,  am  I  not  ?  " 

Antonia  looked  tenderly  into  her  face.  She 
saw  some  inscrutable  change  there.  All  was  the 
same,  and  all  was  different.  She  did  not  under 
stand  that  it  was  in  the  eyes,  those  lookouts  of 
the  soul.  They  had  lost  the  frank,  inquisitive 
stare  of  childhood  ;  they  were  tender  and  misty ; 
they  reflected  a  heart  passionate  and  fearful,  in 
which  love  was  making  himself  lord  of  all. 

Antonia  was  not  without  experience.  There 
was  in  New  York  a  gay,  handsome  youth,  to 
whom  her  thoughts  lovingly  turned.  She  had 
promised  to  trust  him,  and  to  wait  for  him, 
and  neither  silence  nor  distance  had  weakened 
her  faith  or  her  affection.  Don  Luis  had  also 
made  her  understand  how  hard  it  was  to  leave 
Isabel,  just  when  he  had  hoped  to  woo  and 
win  her.  He  had  asked  her  to  watch  over  his 
beloved,  and  to  say  a  word  in  his  favor  when 
all  others  would  be  condemning  him. 

Her  sympathy  had  been  almost  a  promise, 
and,  indeed,  she  thought  Isabel  could  hardly 
have  a  more  suitable  lover.  He  was  handsome, 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE-  57 

gallant,  rich,  and  of  good  morals  and  noble 
family.  They  had  been  much  together  in 
their  lives  ;  their  childish  affection  had  been 
permitted  ;  she  felt  quite  sure  that  the  parents 
of  both  had  contemplated  a  stronger  affection 
and  a  more  lasting  tie  between  them. 

And  evidently  Don  Luis  had  advanced 
further  in  his  suit  than  the  Sefiora  was  aware 
of.  He  had  not  been  able  to  resist  the  charm 
of  secretly  wooing  the  fresh  young  girl  he 
hoped  to  make  his  wife.  Their  love  must  be 
authorized  and  sanctioned  ;  true,  he  wished 
that ;  but  the  charm  of  winning  the  prize  be 
fore  it  was  given  .was  irresistible.  Antonia 
comprehended  all  without  many  words  ;  but 
she  took  her  sister  into  the  garden,  where  they 
could  be  quite  alone,  and  she  sought  the  girl's 
confidence  because  she  was  sure  she  could  be 
to  her  a  loving  guide. 

Isabel  was  ready  enough  to  talk,  and  the 
morning  was  conducive  to  confidence.  They 
strolled  slowly  between  the  myrtle  hedges  in 
the  sweet  gloom  of  overshadowing  trees,  hear 
ing  only  like  a  faint  musical  confusion  the 
mingled  murmur  of  the  city. 

**  It  was  just    here,"    said    Isabel.     "  I  was 


5  8  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

walking  and  sitting  and  doing  nothing  at  all 
but  looking  at  the  trees  and  the  birds  and 
feeling  happy,  and  Don  Luis  came  to  me.  He 
might  have  come  down  from  the  skies,  I  was 
so  astonished.  And  he  looked  so  handsome, 
and  he  said  such  words  !  Oh,  Antonia  !  they 
went  straight  to  my  heart." 

"When  was  this,  dear?" 

"  It  was  in  the  morning.  I  had  been  to 
mass  with  Rachela.  I  had  said  every  prayer 
with  my  whole  heart,  and  Rachela  told  me  I 
might  stay  in  the  garden  until  the  sun  grew 
hot.  And  as  soon  as  Rachela  was  gone,  Don 
Luis  came — came  just  as  sudden  as  an  angel." 

"  He  must  have  followed  you  from  mass." 

"  Perhaps." 

"  He  should  not  have  done  that." 

"  If  a  thing  is  delightful,  nobody  should  do 
it.  Luis  said  he  knew  that  it  was  decided  that 
we  should  marry,  but  that  he  wanted  me  to  be 
his  wife  because  I  loved  him.  His  face  was 
shining  with  joy,  his  eyes  were  like  two  stars, 
he  called  me  his  life,  his  adorable  mistress,  his 
queen,  and  he  knelt  down  and  took  my  hands 
and  kissed  them.  I  was  too  happy  to  speak." 

"Oh,  IzaP 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  59 

"  Very  well,  Antonia  !  It  is  easy  to  say  '  Oh, 
Iza';  but  what  would  you  have  done?  And 
reflect  on  this ;  no  one,  not  even  Rachela,  saw 
him.  So  then,  our  angels  were  quite  agreeable 
and  willing.  And  I — I  was  in  such  joy,  that 
I  went  straight  in  and  told  Holy  Maria  of  my 
happiness.  But  when  a  person  has  not  been 
in  love,  how  can  they  know  ;  and  I  see  that 
you  are  going  to  say  as  Sister  Sacrementa  said 
to  Lores  Valdez — '  You  are  a  wicked  girl,  and 
such  things  are  not  to  be  spoken  of  ! '  ' 

"  Oh,  my  darling  one,  I  am  not  so  cruel.  I 
think  you  did  nothing  very  wrong,  Iza.  When 
love  comes  into  your  soul,  it  is  like  a  new  life. 
If  it  is  a  pure,  good  love,  it  is  a  kind  of  murder 
to  kill  it  in  any  way." 

"  It  has  just  struck  me,  Antonia,  that  you 
may  be  in  love  also." 

"  When  I  was  in  New  York,  our  brother 
Jack  had  a  friend,  and  he  loved  me,  and  I 
loved  him." 

"  But  did  grandmamma  let  him  talk  to 
you?" 

"  He  came  every  night.  We  went  walking 
and  driving.  In  the  summer  we  sailed  upon 
the  n^er  ;  in  the  winter  we  skated  upon  the 


$0  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

ice.  He  helped  me  with  my  lessons.  He  went 
with  me  to  church." 

"  And  was  grandmamma  with  you  ?  " 

"Very  seldom.  Often  Jack  was  with  us; 
more  often  we  were  quite  alone." 

"  Holy  Virgin  !  Who  ever  heard  tell  of 
such  good  fortune  ?  Consuelo  Ladrello  had 
never  been  an  hour  alone  with  Don  Domingo 
before  they  were  married." 

"A  good  girl  does  not  need  a  duenna  to 
watch  her ;  that  is  what  I  think.  And  an 
American  girl,  pure  and  free,  would  not  suffer 
herself  to  be  watched  by  any  woman,  old  or 
young.  Her  lover  comes  boldly  into  her 
home;  she  is  too  proud  to  meet  him  in 
secret." 

"Ah!  that  would  be  a  perfect  joy.  That  is 
what  I  would  like  !  But  fancy  what  Rachela 
would  say  ;  and  mi  madre  would  cover  her  eyes 
and  refuse  to  see  me  if  I  said  such  words. 
Believe  this.  It  was  in  the  spring  Luis  told 
me  that  he  loved  me,  and  though  I  have  seen 
him  often  since,  he  has  never  found  another 
moment  to  speak  to  me  alone,  not  for  one  five 
minutes.  Oh,  Antonia  !  let  me  have  one  five 
minutes  this  afternoon  !  He  is  going  away, 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  6 1 

and  there  is  to  be  war,  and  I  may  never,  never 
see  him  again  !  " 

"  Do  not  weep,  little  dove.  How  can  you 
see  him  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  He  will  be  here,  in  this  very  place,  I  know 
he  will.  When  he  put  the  suchil  flower  to  his 
lips  last  night  he  made  me  understand  it. 
This  afternoon,  during  the  hour  of  siesta,  will 
you  come  with  me?  Only  for  five  minutes, 
Antonia  !  You  can  manage  Rachela,  I  am 
sure  you  can." 

"  I  can  manage  Rachela,  and  you  shall  have 
one  whole  hour,  Iza.  On*  whole  hour  !  Come, 
now,  we  must  make  a  visit  to  our  mother.  She 
will  be  wondering  at  our  delay." 

The  Seftora  had  not  yet  risen.  She  had 
taken  her  chocolate  and  smoked  her  cigarito, 
but  was  still  drowsing.  "  I  have  had  a  bad 
night,  children,"  she  said  ;  "  full  of  dreadful 
dreams.  It  must  have  been  that  American. 
Yet,  Holy  Mother,  how  handsome  he  is  !  And 
I  assure  you  that  he  has  the  good  manners  of 
a  courtier.  Still,  it  was  an  imprudence,  and 
Seflora  Valdez  will  make  some  great  thing  of  it." 

"  You  were  in  your  own  house,  mother. 
What  has  Seftora  Valdez  to  do  with  the  guest 


62  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

in  it  ?  We  might  as  well  make  some  great 
thing  about  Captain  Morello  being  present  at 
her  party." 

*•  I  have  to  say  to  you,  Antonia,  that  Morel- 
lo  is  a  Castilian ;  his  family  is  without  a  cross. 
He  has  the  parchments  of  his  noble  ancestry 
to  show." 

"  And  Sefior  Houston  is  an  American — 
Scotch-American,  he  said,  last  night.  Pardon, 
my  mother,  but  do  you  know  what  the  men  of 
Scotland  are  ?" 

"  Si !  They  are  monsters  !  Fray  Ignatius 
has  told  me.  They  are  heretics  of  the  worst 
kind.  It  is  their  special  delight  to  put  to 
death  good  Catholic  priests.  I  saw  that  in  a 
book  ;  it  must  be  true." 

"  Oh,  no,  mother !  It  is  not  true !  It  is 
mere  nonsense.  Scotchmen  do  not  molest 
priests,  women,  and  children.  They  are  the 
greatest  fighters  in  the  world." 

"  Quien  sabe  ?  Who  has  taught  you  so  much 
about  these  savages  ?" 

"  Indeed,  mother,  they  are  not  savages. 
They  are  a  very  learned  race  of  men,  and  very 
pious  also.  Jack  has  many  Scotch-American 
friends.  I  know  one  of  them  very  well  ";  and 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  63 

with  the  last  words  her  face  flushed,  and  her 
voice  fell  insensibly  mto  slow  and  soft  in 
flections. 

"  Jack  knows  many  of  them  !  That  is  like 
ly.  Your  father  would  send  him  to  New  York. 
All  kinds  of  men  are  in  New  York.  Fray  Ig-^ 
natius  says  they  have  to  keep  an  army  of 
police  there.  No  wonder !  And  my  son  is  so 
full  of  nobilities,  so  generous,  so  honorable,  he 
will  not  keep  himself  exclusive.  He  is  the 
true  resemblance  of  my  brother  Don  Juan 
Flores.  Juan  was  always  pitying  the  poor  and 
making  friends  with  those  beneath  him.  At 
last  he  went  into  the  convent  of  the  Bernard- 
ines  and  died  like  a  very  saint." 

"  I  think  our  Jack  will  be  more  likely  to  die 
like  a  very  hero.  If  there  is  any  thing  Jack 
hates,  it  is  oppression.  He  would  right  a  beg 
gar,  if  he  saw  him  wronged." 

"  Poco  a  poco !  I  am  tired  of  rights  and 
wrongs.  Let  us  talk  a  little  about  our  dresses, 
for  there  will  be  a  gay  winter.  Seftora  Valdez 
assured  me  of  it ;  many  soldiers  are  coming 
here,  and  we  shall  have  parties,  and  cock-fights, 
and,  perhaps,  even  a  bull-feast." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Isabel  clapping  her  hands  en- 


64  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

thusiastically  ;  "  a  bull-feast !  That  is  what  1 
long  to  see  !  " 

At  this  moment  the  doctor  entered  the  room, 
and  Isabel  ran  to  meet  him.  No  father  could 
have  resisted  her  pretty  ways,  her  kisses,  her 
endearments,  her  coaxing  diminutives  of 
speech,  her  childlike  loveliness  and  simplicity. 

"  What  is  making  you  so  happy,  Queri- 
dita?"*' 

"  Mi  madre  says  there  is  perhaps  to  be  a  bull* 
feast  this  winter.  Holy  Virgin,  think  of  it! 
That  is  the  one  thing  I  long  to  see !  " 

With  her  clinging  arms  around  him,  and  hei 
eager  face  lifted  to  his  for  sympathy,  the  father 
could  not  dash  the  hope  which  he  knew  in  his 
heart  was  very  unlikely  to  be  realized.  Neither 
did  he  think  it  necessary  to  express  opposition 
or  disapproval  for  what  had  as  yet  no  tangible 
existence.  So  he  answered  her  with  smiles 
and  caresses,  and  a  little  quotation  which  com. 
mitted  him  to  nothing: 

"  As,  Panem  et  Circenses  was  the  cry 
Among  the  Roman  populace  of  old  ; 
So,  Pan  y  Toros !  is  the  cry  of  Spain." 

The  Seftora  smiled  appreciatively  and  put  out 

*  Little  dear. 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  05 

her  hand.  "Pan  y  Toros ! "  she  repeated. 
"And  have  you  reflected,  children,  that  no 
other  nation  in  the  world  cries  it.  Only  Spain 
and  her  children  !  That  is  because  only  men 
of  the  Spanish  race  are  brave  enough  to  fight 
bulls,  and  only  Spanish  bulls  are  brave  enough 
to  fight  men." 

She  was  quite  pleased  with  herself  for  this 
speech,  and  finding  no  one  inclined  to  dispute 
the  statement,  she  went  on  to  describe  a  festi 
val  of  bulls  she  had  been  present  at  in  the  city 
of  Mexico.  The  subject  delighted  her,  and  she 
grew  eloquent  over  it ;  and,  conscious  only  of 
Isabel's  shining  eyes  and  enthusiastic  interest, 
she  did  not  notice  the  air  of  thoughtfulness 
which  had  settled  over  her  husband's  face,  nor 
yet  Antonia's  ill-disguised  weariness  and 
anxiety. 

On  the  night  of  the  Valdez's  party  her 
father  had  said  he  would  talk  with  her.  An- 
tonia  was  watching  for  the  confidence,  but  not 
with  any  great  desire.  Her  heart  and  her  in 
telligence  told  her  it  would  mean  trouble,  and 
she  had  that  natural  feeling  of  youth  which 
gladly  postpones  the  evil  day.  And  while  her 
father  was  silent  she  believed  there  were  still 


66  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

possibilities  of  escape  from  it.  So  she  was  not 
sorry  that  he  again  went  to  his  office  in  the 
city  without  any  special  word  for  her.  It  was 
another  day  stolen  from  the  uncertain  future, 
for  the  calm  usage  of  the  present,  and  she  was 
determined  to  make  happiness  in  it. 

When  all  was  still  in  the  afternoon  Isabel 
came  to  her.  She  would  not  put  the  child  to 
the  necessity  of  again  asking  her  help.  She 
rose  at  once,  and  said  : 

"  Sit  here,  Iza,  until  I  have  opened  the  door 
for  us.  Then  she  took  a  rich  silk  kerchief, 
blue  as  the  sky,  in  her  hand,  and  went  to  the 
wide,  matted  hall.  There  she  found  Rachela 
asleep  on  a  cane  lounge.  Antonia  woke  her. 

"  Rachela,  I  wish  to  go  into  the  garden  for 
an  hour." 

The  Senorita  does  the  thing  she  wants  to. 
Rachela  would  not  presume  to  interfere.  The 
Senorita  became  an  Americano  in  New  York." 

"  There  are  good  things  in  New  York,  Ra 
chela  ;  for  instance,  this  kerchief." 

"  That  is  indeed  magnificent !  " 

"  If  you  permit  my  sister  to  walk  in  the  gar 
den  with  me,  I  shall  give  it  to  you  this  mo 
ment." 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE,  67 

"Dofia  Isabel  is  different.     She  is  a  Mex/ 
caine.     She  must  be  watched  continually." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  She  is  as  innocent  as  ar 
angel." 

"  Let  her  simply  grow  up,  and  you  will  see 
that  she  is  not  innocent  as  the  angels.  Oh 
indeed !  I  could  say  something  about  last 
night !  Dona  Isabel  has  no  vocation  for  a  nun  ; 
but,  graciasa  Dios!  Rachela  is  not  yet  blind  or 
deaf." 

"  Let  the  child  go  with  me  for  an  hour, 
Rachela.  The  kerchief  will  be  so  becoming  to 
you.  There  is  not  another  in  San  Antonio 
like  it." 

Rachela  was  past  forty,  but  not  yet  past  the 
age  of  coquetry.  "  It  will  look  gorgeous  with 
my  gold  ear-rings,  but — " 

"  I  will  give  you  also  the  blue  satin  bow  like 
it,  to  wear  at  your  breast." 

"  Si,  si !  I  will  give  the  permission, 
Seflorita — for  your  sake  alone.  The  kerchief 
and  bow  are  a  little  thing  to  you.  To  me, 
they  will  be  a  great  adornment.  You  are  not 
to  leave  the  garden,  however,  and  for  one  hour's 
walk  only,  Seflorita ;  certainly  there  is  time 
for  no  more." 


68  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  I  will  take  care  of  Isabel ;  no  harm  shall 
come  to  her.  You  may  keep  your  eyes  shut 
for  one  hour,  Rachela,  and  you  may  shut  your 
ears  also,  and  put  your  feet  on  the  couch  and 
let  them  rest.  I  will  watch  Isabel  carefully,  be 
sure  of  that." 

"The  child  is  very  clever,  and  she  has  a 
lover  already,  I  fear.  Keep  your  eyes  on  the 
myrtle  hedge  that  skirts  the  road.  I  have  to 
say  this — it  is  not  for  nothing  she  wants  to 
walk  with  you  this  afternoon.  She  would  be 
better  fast  asleep." 

In  a  few  moments  the  kerchief  and  the  bow 
were  safely  folded  in  the  capacious  pocket  of 
Rachela's  apron,  and  Isabel  and  Antonia  were 
softly  treading  the  shady  walk  between  the 
myrtle  hedges.  Rachela's  eyes  were  appar 
ently  fast  closed  when  the  girls  pased  her,  but 
she  did  not  fail  to  notice  how  charmingly 
Isabel  had  dressed  herself.  She  wore,  it  is 
true,  her  Spanish  costume  ;  but  she  had  red 
roses  at  her  breast,  and  her  white  lace  mantilla 
over  her  head. 

"Ah  !  she  is  a  clever  little  thing  !  "  Rachela 
muttered.  "  She  knows  that  she  is  irresistible 
in  her  Castilian  dress.  Bah !  those  French 


THE  SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.     69 

frocks  are  enough  to  drive  a  man  a  mile  away. 
I  can  almost  forgive  her  now.  Had  she 
worn  the  French  frock  I  would  not  have 
forgiven  her.  I  would  never  have  yield 
ed  again,  no,  not  even  if  the  Seflorita 
Antonia  should  offer  me  her  scarlet  Indian 
shawl  worked  in  gold.  I  was  always  a  fool — 
Holy  Mother  forgive  me  !  Well,  then ;  I  used 
to  have  my  own  lovers — plenty  of  them — 
handsome  young  arrieros  and  rancheros : 
there  was  Tadeo,  a  valento  of  the  first  class : 
and  Buffa — and — well,  I  will  sleep ;  they  do 
not  remember  me,  I  dare  say ;  and  I  have 
forgotten  their  names." 

In  the  mean  time  the  sisters  sat  dow*i 
beneath  a  great  fig-tree.  No  sunshine,  no 
shower,  could  penetrate  its  thick  foliage.  The 
wide  space  beneath  the  spreading  branches 
was  a  little  parlor,  cool  and  sweet,  and  full  of 
soft,  green  lights,  and  the  earthy  smell  of  turf, 
and  the  wandering  scents  of  the  garden. 

Isabel's  eyes  shone  with  an  incomparable 
light.  She  was  pale,  but  exquisitely  beautiful, 
and  even  her  hands  and  feet  expressed  the 
idea  of  expectation.  Antonia  had  a  piece  of 
needlework  in  her  hand.  She  affected  the 


7»  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

calmness  she  did  not  feel,  for  her  heart  was 
trembling  for  the  tender  little  heart  beating 
with  so  much  love  and  anxiety  beside  her. 

But  Isabel's  divination,  however  arrived  at, 
was  not  at  fault.  In  a  few  moments  Don  Luis 
lightly  leaped  the  hedge,  and  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  sought  the  shadow  of  the 
fig-tree.  As  he  approached,  Antonia  looked 
at  him  with  a  new  interest.  It  was  not  only 
that  he  loved  Isabel,  but  that  Isabel  loved  him. 
She  had  given  him  sympathy  before,  now  she 
gave  him  a  sister's  affection. 

"How  handsome  he  is!"  she  thought. 
"How  gallant  he  looks  in  his  velvet  and  silver 
and  embroidered  jacket !  And  how  eager  are 
his  steps!  And  how  joyful  his  face!  He  is 
the  kind  of  Romeo  that  Shakespeare  dreamed 
about !  Isabel  is  really  an  angel  to  him.  He 
would  really  die  for  her.  What  has  this 
Spanish  knight  of  the  sixteenth  century  to  do 
in  Texas  in  the  nineteenth  century?" 

He  answered  her  mental  question  in  his  own 
charming  way.  He  was  so  happy,  so  radiantly 
happy,  so  persuasive,  so  compelling,  that 
Antonia  granted  him,  without  a  word,  the  favor 
his  eyes  asked  for.  And  the  lovers  hardly 


THE  SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE  Jl 

heard  the  excuse  she  made  ;  they  understood 
nothing  of  it,  only  that  she  would  be  reading 
in  the  myrtle  walk  for  one  hour,  and,  by  so 
doing,  would  protect  them  from  intrusion. 

One  whole  hour !  Isabel  had  thought  the 
promise  a  perfect  magnificence  of  opportunity 
But  how  swiftly  it  went.  Luis  had  not  told 
her  the  half  of  his  love  and  his  hopes.  He 
had  been  forced  to  speak  of  politics  and  busi 
ness,  and  every  such  word  was  just  so  many 
stolen  from  far  sweeter  words — words  that  fell 
like  music  from  his  lips,  and  were  repeated 
with  infinite  power  from  his  eyes.  Low  words, 
that  had  the  pleading  of  a  thousand  voices  in 
them  ;  words  full  of  melody,  thrilling  with 
romance  ;  poetical,  and  yet  real  as  the  sunshine 
around  them. 

In  lovers  of  a  colder  race,  bound  by  con 
ventional  ties,  and  a  dress  rigorously  divested 
of  every  picturesque  element,  such  wooing 
might  have  appeared  ridiculous  ;  but  in  Don 
Luis,  the  most  natural  thing  about  it  was  its 
extravagance.  When  he  knelt  at  the  feet  of 
his  beloved  and  kissed  her  hands,  the  action 
was  the  unavoidable  outcome  of  his  tempera- 
ment.  When  he  said  to  her,  "Angel  mio!  you 


72  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO, 

are  the  light  of  my  darkness,  the  perfume  of 
all  flowers  that  bloom  for  me,  the  love  of  my 
loves,  my  life,  my  youth,  my  lyre,  my  star,  had 
I  a  thousand  souls  with  which  to  love,  I  would 
give  them  all  to  you  ! "  he  believed  every  word 
he  uttered,  and  he  uttered  every  word  with 
the  passion  of  a  believer. 

He  stirred  into  life  also  in  the  heart  of 
Isabel  a  love  as  living  as  his  own.  In  that 
hour  she  stepped  outside  all  of  her  childhood's 
immaturities.  She  became  a  woman.  She 
accepted  with  joyful  tears  a  woman's  lot  of 
love  and  sorrow.  She  said  to  Antonia : 

"  Luis  was  in  my  heart  before  ;  now,  I  have 
put  him  in  my  soul.  My  soul  will  never  die. 
So  I  shall  never  forget  him — never  cease  to 
love  him/' 

Rachela  faithfully  kept  her  agreement.  For 
one  hour  she  was  asleep  to  all  her  charge  did, 
and  Isabel  was  in  her  own  room  when  the 
precious  sixty  minutes  were  over.  Happy  ? 
So  happy  that  her  soul  seemed  to  have  pushed 
her  body  aside,  as  a  thing  not  to  be  taken 
into  account.  She  sang  like  a  bird  for  very 
gladsomeness.  It  was  impossible  for  her  to  be 
still,  and  as  she  went  about  her  room  with 


THE   SHINING  JANDS  OF  LOVE.  73 

little  dancing,  balancing  movements  of  her 
hands  and  feet,  Antonia  knew  that  they 
were  keeping  their  happy  rhythmic  motion 
to  the  melody  love  sang  in  her  heart. 

And  she  rejoiced  with  her  little  sister, 
though  she  was  not  free  from  a  certain  regret 
for  her  concession,  for  it  is  the  after-reckoning 
with  conscience  that  is  so  disagreeably  strict 
and  uncomfortable.  And  yet,  why  make  an 
element  of  anger  and  suspicion  between  Isabel 
and  her  mother  when  there  appeared  to  be  no 
cause  to  do  so?  Don  Luis  was  going  away. 
He  was  in  disgrace  with  his  family — almost 
disinherited  ;  the  country  was  on  the  point  of 
war,  and  its  fortunes  might  give  him  some 
opportunities  no  one  now  foresaw.  But  if 
Isabel's  mother  had  once  declared  that  she 
would  "never  sanction  the  marriage,"  Antonia 
knew  that,  however  she  might  afterwards 
regret  her  haste  and  prejudice,  she  would  stand 
passionately  by  her  decision.  Was  it  not 
better,  then,  to  prevent  words  being  said 
which  might  cause  sorrow  and  regret  in  the 
future? 

But  as  regarded  Isabel's  father,  no  such 
reason  existed.  The  happiness  of  his  children 


74  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

was  to  him  a  more  sacred  thing  than  his  own 
prejudices.  He  liked  Don  Luis,  and  his  friend 
ship  with  his  mother,  the  Seftora  Alveda,  was 
a  long  and  tried  one.  The  youth's  political 
partialities,  though  bringing  him  at  present 
into  disgrace,  were  such  as  he  himself  had 
largely  helped  to  form.  Antonia  was  sure 
that  her  father  would  sympathize  with  Isabel, 
and  excuse  in  her  the  lapse  of  duty  which  had 
given  his  little  girl  so  much  happiness.  Yes, 
it  would  be  right  to  tell  him  every  thing,  and 
she  did  not  fear  but  Isabel  would  agree  in  her 
decision. 

At  this  moment  Rachela  entered.  The 
Seflora  wished  her  daughters  to  call  upon  the 
American  manteau-maker  for  her,  and  the  ride 
in  the  open  carnage  to  the  Plaza  would  enable 
them  to  bow  to  their  acquaintances,  and 
exhibit  their  last  new  dresses  from  New 
Orleans.  Rachela  was  already  prepared  for 
the  excursion,  and  she  was  not  long  in  attiring 
Isabel. 

"  To  be  sure,  the  siesta  has  made  you  look 
charming  this  afternoon,"  she  said,  looking 
steadily  into  the  girl's  beaming,  blushing  face, 
"  and  this  rose  silk  is  enchanting.  Santa  Maria, 


THE  SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  75 

how  I  pity  the  officers  who  will  have  the  great 
fortune  to  see  you  this  afternoon,  and  break 
their  hearts  for  the  sight !  But  you  must  not 
look  at  them,  mark !  I  shall  tell  the  Seftora  if 
you  do.  It  is  enough  if  they  look  at  you. 
And  the  American  way  of  the  Seftorita  An- 
tonia,  which  is  to  bow  and  smile  to  every  ad 
mirer,  it  will  but  make  more  enchanting  the 
becoming  modesty  of  the  high-born  Mexi- 
caine." 

"Keep  your  tongue  still,  Rachela.  Ah!  if 
you  strike  me,  I  will  go  to  my  father.  He  will 
not  permit  it.  1  am  not  a  child  to  be  struck 
and  scolded,  and  told  when  to  open  and  shut 
my  eyes.  I  shall  do  as  my  sister  does,  and 
the  Holy  Mother  herself  will  be  satisfied  with 
me  ! " 

"Chito!  Chito!!  You  wicked  one!  Oh, 
Maria  Santissima,  cast  on  this  child  a  look  of 
compassion !  The  American  last  night  has 
bewitched  her !  I  said  that  he  looked  like  a 
Jew." 

"  I  am  not  wicked,  Rachela ;  and  gracias  d 
Dios,  there  is  no  Inquisition  now  to  put  the 
question  !  " 

Isabel  was  in  a  great  passion,  or  the  awful 


7  6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

word  that  had  made  lips  parch  and  blanch  to 
utter  it  for  generations  would  never  have  been 
launched  at  the  offending  woman's  head.  But 
its  effect  was  magical.  Rachela  put  up  her 
hands  palm  outwards,  as  if  to  shield  herself 
from  a  blow,  and  then  without  another  word 
stooped  down  and  tied  the  satin  sandals  on 
Isabel's  restless  feet.  She  was  muttering 
prayers  during  the  whole  action,  for  Isabel  had 
been  quick  to  perceive  her  advantage,  and  was 
following  it  up  by  a  defiant  little  monologue 
of  rebellious  speeches. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene,  Antonia  entered. 
She  was  dressed  for  the  carnage,  and  the  car 
nage  stood  at  the  door  waiting  ;  but  her  face 
was  full  of  fear,  and  she  said,  hurriedly : 

"  Rachela,  can  you  not-make  some  excuse  to 
my  mother  which  will  permit  us  to  remain  at 
home  ?  Hark  !  There  is  something  wrong  in 
the  city." 

In  a  moment  the  three  women  were  on  the 
balcony,  intently,  anxiously  listening.  Then 
they  were  aware  of  a  strange  confusion  in  the 
subtle,  amber  atmosphere.  It  was  as  if  they 
heard  the  noise  of  battle  afar  off ;  and  Rachela, 
without  a  word,  glided  away  to  the  Seftora, 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  77 

Isabel  and  Antonia  stood  hand  in  hand,  listen 
ing  to  the  vague  trouble  and  the  echo  of  harsh, 
grating  voices,  mingled  with  the  blare  of  clar 
ions,  the  roll  of  drums,  and  the  rattle  of  scatter 
ing  rifle-shots.  Yet  the  noises  were  so  blended 
together,  so  indistinct,  so  strangely  expressive, 
of  both  laughter  and  defiance,  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  identify  or  describe  them. 

Suddenly  a  horseman  came  at  a  rapid  pace 
towards  the  house,  and  Antonia,  leaning  over 
the  balcony,  saw  him  deliver  a  note  to  Rachela, 
and  then  hurry  away  at  the  same  reckless 
speed.  The  note  was  from  the  doctor  to  his 
wife,  and  it  did  not  tend  to  allay  their  anxiety. 
"Keep  within  the  house,"  it  said;  "there  are 
difficulties  in  the  city.  In  an  hour  or  two  I 
will  be  at  home." 

But  it  was  near  midnight  when  he  arrived, 
and  Antonia  saw  that  he  was  a  different  man. 
He  looked  younger.  His  blue  eyes  shone  with 
the  light  behind  them.  On  his  face  there 
was  the  impress  of  an  invincible  determina 
tion.  His  very  walk  had  lost  its  listless,  glid 
ing  tread,  and  his  steps  were  firm,  alert  and 
rapid. 

No  one  had  been  able  to  go  to   bed  until  he 


78  REMEMBER    TH&   ALAMO. 

arrived,  though  Isabel  slept  restlessly  in  her 
father's  chair,  and  the  Seftora  lay  upon  the 
couch,  drowsing  a  little  between  her  frequent 
attacks  of  weeping  and  angry  anticipation. 
For  she  was  sure  it  was  the  Americans.  "  Any 
thing  was  possible  with  such  a  man  as  Sam 
Houston  near  the  city." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  Santa  Anna,"  at  length  sug 
gested  Antonia.  "  He  has  been  making  trouble 
ever  since  I  can  remember.  He  was  born  with 
a  sword  in  his  hand,  I  think." 

"  Ca  !  And  every  American  with  a  rifle  in  his 
hand !  Santa  Anna  is  a  monster,  but  at  least 
he  fights  for  his  own  country.  Texas  is  not  the 
country  of  the  Americans." 

"  But,  indeed,  they  believe  that  Texas  is  their 
country ".;  and  to  these  words  Doctor  Worth 
entered. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  What  is  the  matter, 
Roberto  ?  I  have  been  made  sick  with  these 
uncertainties.  Why  did  you  not  come  home 
at  the  Angelus  ?" 

"  I  have  had  a  good  reason  for  my  delay, 
Maria.  About  three  o'clock  I  received  a  mes 
sage  from  the  Seftora  Alveda,  and  I  visited  her. 
She  is  in  great  trouble,  and  she  had  not  been 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  79 

able  to  bear  it  with  her  usual  fortitude.  She 
had  fainted." 

"  Ah,  the  poor  mother!  She  has  a  son  who 
will  break  her  heart." 

"  She  made  no  complaint  of  Luis.  She  is 
distracted  about  her  country,  and  as  I  came 
home  I  understood  why.  For  she  is  a  very 
shrewd  woman,  and  she  perceives  that  Santa 
Anna  is  preparing  trouble  enough  for  it." 

"  Well,  then,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  When  I  left  her  house,  I  noticed  many 
Americans,  as  well  as  many  Mexicans,  on  the. 
streets.  They  were  standing  together,  too « 
and  there  was  something  in  their  faces,  and  in 
the  way  their  arms  were  carried,  which  war' 
very  striking  and  portentous.  I  fancied  they 
looked  coldly  on  me,  and  I  was  troubled  by  th& 
circumstance.  In  the  Plaza  I  saw  the  military 
band  approaching,  accompanied  by  half  a  dozeh* 
officers  and  a  few  soldiers.  The  noise  stopped 
suddenly,  and  Captain  Morello  proclaimed  as 
a  bando  (edict)  of  the  highest  authority,  an 
order  for  all  Americans  to  surrender  their  arms 
of  every  description  to  the  officials  and  at  the 
places  notified.'* 

"  Very  good  !  " 


8o  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Maria,  nothing  could  be  worse  !  Nothing 
could  be  more  shameful  and  disastrous.  The 
Americans  had  evidently  been  expecting  this 
useless  bombast,  and  ere  the  words  were  well 
uttered,  they  answered  them  with  a  yell  of 
defiance.  I  do  not  think  more  than  one  proc- 
lamation  was  necessary,  but  Morello  went 
from  point  to  point  in  the  city  and  the 
Americans  followed  him.  I  can  tell  you  this, 
Maria:  all  the  millions  in  Mexico  can  not  take 
their  rifles  from  the  ten  thousand  Americans  in 
Texas,  able  to  carry  them." 

"  We  shall  see !  We  shall  see  !  But,  Roberto, 
you  at  least  will  not  interfere  in  their  quarrels. 
You  have  never  done  so  hitherto." 

"  No  one  has  ever  proposed  to  disarm  me 
before,  Maria.  I  tell  you  frankly,  I  will  not 
give  up  a  single  rifle,  or  revolver,  or  weapon  of 
any  kind,  that  I  possess.  I  would  rather  be 
slain  with  them.  I  have  never  carried  arms 
before,  but  I  shall  carry  them  now.  I  apolo 
gize  to  my  countrymen  for  not  having  them 
with  me  this  afternoon.  My  dearest  wife! 
My  good  Maria !  do  not  cry  in  that  despairing 
way." 

"  You  will  be   killed,  Roberto  !     You  will  be 


THE   SHINING  BANDS  OF  LOVE  £ 

a  rebel !     You  will  be  shot  like  a  dog,  a 
what  will  become  of  me  and  my  daughcv-io  * 

"  You  have  two  sons,  Maria.  They  will 
avenge  their  father,  and  protect  their  mother 
and  sisters." 

"  I  shall  die  of  shame !  I  shall  die  of  shame 
and  sorrow  !  " 

"  Not  of  shame,  Maria.  If  I  permitted 
these  men  to  deprive  me  of  my  arms,  you 
might  well  die  of  shame." 

"  What  is  it  ?  Only  a  gun,  or  a  pistol,  that 
you  never  use  ?  " 

44 Great  God,  Maria  !  It  is  everything!  It 
is  honor !  It  is  liberty !  It  is  respect  to 
myself !  It  is  loyalty  to  my  country  !  It  is 
fidelity  to  my  countrymen  !  It  is  true  that  for 
many  years  the  garrison  has  fully  protected 
us,  and  I  have  not  needed  to  use  the  arms  in 
my  house.  But  thousands  of  husbands  and 
fathers  need  them  hourly,  to  procure  food  for 
their  children  and  wives,  and  to  protect  them 
from  the  savages.  One  tie  binds  us.  Their 
cause  is  my  cause.  Their  country  is  my 
country,  and  their  God  is  my  God.  Children, 
am  I  right  or  wrong?" 

They    both    stepped    swiftly    to    his    side. 


89  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Isabel  laid  her  cheek  against  his,  and  answered 
him  with  a  kiss.  Antonia  clasped  his  hand, 
stood  close  to  him,  and  said:  "  We  are  all  sure 
that  you  are  right,  dear  father.  My  mother  is 
weary  and  sick  with  anxiety,  but  she  thinks  so 
too.  Mother  always  thinks  as  you  do,  father. 
Dear  mother,  here  is  Rachela  with  a  cup  of 
chocolate,  and  you  will  sleep  and  grow  strong 
before  morning." 

But  the  Seftora,  though  she  suffered  her 
daughter's  caresses,  did  not  answer  them, 
neither  did  she  speak  to  her  husband,  though 
he  opened  the  door  for  her  and  stood  waiting 
with  a  face  full  of  anxious  love  for  a  word  or  a 
smile  from  her.  And  the  miserable  wife,  still 
more  miserable  than  her  husband,  noticed  that 
Isabel  did  not  follow  her.  Never  before 
had  Isabel  seemed  to  prefer  any  society 
to  her  mother's,  and  the  unhappy  Seftora 
felt  the  defection,  even  amid  her  graver 
trouble. 

But  Isabel  had  seen  something  new  in  her 
father  that  night ;  something  that  touched  her 
awakening  soul  with  admiration.  She  lingered 
with  him  and  Antonia,  listening  with  vague 
comprehension  to  their  conversation,  until 


THE   Sm  ?ZNG  BANDS  OF  LOVE.  83 

Rachela  called  her  angrily ;  and  as  she  was  not 
brave  enough  for  a  second  rebellion  that  night, 
she  obediently  answered  her  summons. 

An  hour  afterwards,  Antonia  stepped  cau 
tiously  within  her  room.  She  was  sleeping,  and 
smiling  in  her  sleep.  Where  was  her  loving, 
innocent  soul  wandering?  Between  the  myrtle 
hedges  and  under  the  fig-tree  with  her  lover? 
Oh,  who  can  tell  where  the  soul  goes  when 
sleep  gives  it  some  release?  Perhaps  it  is  at 
night  our  angels  need  to  watch  us  most  care 
fully.  For  the  soul,  in  dreams,  can  visit  evil 
and  sorrowful  places,  as  well  as  happy  and 
holy  ones.  But  Isabel  slept  and  smiled,  and 
Antonia  whispered  a  prayer  at  her  side  ere  she 
went  to  her  own  rest. 

And  the  waning  moon  cast  a  pathetic 
beauty  over  the  Eden-like  land,  till  dawn 
brought  that  mystical  silence  in  which  every 
new  day  is  born.  Then  Robert  Worth  rose 
from  the  chair  in  which  he  had  been  sitting  so 
long,  remembering  the  past  and  forecasting  the 
future.  He  walked  to  the  window,  opened  it, 
and  looked  towards  the  mountains.  They  had 
an  ethereal  hue,  a  light  without  rays,  a  clear 
ness  almost  polar  in  its  severity.  But  in  some 


84  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO, 

way. their    appearance    infused    into   his   soul 
calmness  and  strength. 

"  Liberty  has  always  been  bought  with  life, 
and  the  glory  of  the  greatest  nations  hand 
seled  with  the  blood  of  their  founders."  This 
was  the  thought  in  his  heart,  as  looking  far  off 
to  the  horizon,  he  asked  hopefully  : 

"  What  then,  O  God,  shall  this  good  land  produce, 
That  Thou  art  watering  it  so  carefully  ?  " 


CHAPTER   V. 

A   FAMOUS   BARBECUE. 

'  So  when  fierce  zeal  a  nation  rends, 

And  stern  injustice  rules  the  throne, 
Beneath  the  yoke  meek  virtue  bends, 

And  modest  truth  is  heard  to  groan. 
But  when  fair  Freedom's  star  appears, 
Then  hushed  are  sighs,  and  calmed  are  fears. 

And  who,  when  nations  long  opprest, 
Decree  to  curb  the  oppressor's  pride, 

And  patriot  virtues  fire  the  breast, 
Who  shall  the  generous  ardor  chide  ? 

What  shall  withstand  the  great  decree, 

When  a  brave  nation  will  be  free  ?  " 

IT  is  flesh  and  blood  that  makes  husbands 
and  wives,  fathers  and  children,  and  for 
the  next  few  days  these  ties  were  sorely 
wounded  in  Robert  Worth's  house.  The  Se- 
ftora  was  what  Rachela  called  "difficult."  In 
reality,  she  was  angry  and  sullen.  At  such 
times  she  always  went  early  to  mass,  said  many 
prayers,  and  still  further  irritated  herself  by 
unnecessary  footing.  But  there  are  few  homes 
which  totally  escape  the  visitations  of  this 
85 


86  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

pious  temper  in  some  form  or  other.  And  no 
creed  modifies  it ;  the  strict  Calvinist  and  strict 
Catholic  are  equally  disagreeable  while  under 
its  influence. 

Besides,  the  Seftora,  like  the  ill-tempered 
prophet,  thought  she  "  did  well  to  be  angry." 
She  imagined  herself  deserted  and  betrayed  in 
all  her  tenderest  feelings,  her  husband  a  rebel, 
her  home  made  desolate,  her  sons  and  daugh 
ters  supporting  their  father's  imprudent  views. 
She  could  only  see  one  alternative  before  her; 
she  must  choose  between  her  country  and  her 
religion,  or  her  husband  and  children. 

True,  she  had  not  yet  heard  from  her  sons, 
but  she  would  listen  to  none  of  Rachela's 
hopes  regarding  them.  Thomas  had  always 
said  yes  to  all  his  father's  opinions.  How 
could  she  expect  anything  from  John  when  he 
was  being  carefully  trained  in  the  very  princi 
ples  which  everywhere  made  the  Americans  so 
irritating  to  the  Mexican  government. 

Her  husband  and  Antonia  she  would  not 
see.  Isabel  she  received  in  her  darkened 
room,  with  passionate  weeping  and  many  re 
proaches.  The  unhappy  husband  had  ex- 
pected  this  trouble  at  the  outset.  It  was  one 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE  87 

of  those  domestic  thorns  which  festei'  and 
hamper,  but  to  which  the  very  best  of  men 
have  to  submit.  He  could  only  send  pleasant 
and  affectionate  messages  by  Rachela,  know 
ing  that  Rachela  would  deliver  them  with  her 
own  modifications  of  tone  and  manner. 

"  The  Seftor  sends  his  great  love  to  the  Se- 
fiora.  Grace  of  Mary  !  If  he  would  do  a  little 
as  the  most  wise  and  tender  of  spouses  wishes 
him  !  That  would  be  for  the  good  fortune  of 
every  one." 

"  Ah,  Rachela,  my  heart  is  broken  !  Bring 
me  my  mantilla.  I  will  go  to  early  mass, 
when  one's  husband  and  children  forsake 
them,  who,  then,  is  possible  but  the  Holy 
Mother?" 

"  My  Seftora,  you  will  take  cold  ;  the  morn 
ing  is  chill ;  besides,  I  have  to  say  the  streets 
will  be  full  of  those  insolent  Americans." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  take  cold,  perhaps 
even  to  die.  And  the  Americans  do  not 
offend  women.  Even  the  devil  has  his  good 
points." 

"  Holy  Virgin  !  Offend  women  !  They  do 
not  even  think  us  worth  looking  at.  But  then 
it  is  an  intolerable  offence  to  see  them  stand- 


REMEMBER    fHE   ALAMO. 

ing  in  our  streets,  as  if  they  had  made  the 
whole  land." 

But  this  morning,  early  as  it  was,  the  streets 
were  empty  of  Americans.  There  had  been 
hundreds  of  them  there  at  the  proclamation  ; 
there  was  not  one  to  be  seen  twelve  hours  af 
terwards.  But  at  the  principal  rendezvous  of 
the  city,  and  on  the  very  walls  of  the  Alamo, 
they  had  left  this  characteristic  notice  : 

"  To  SANTA  ANNA  : 

If  you  want  our  arms — take  them. 

TEN  THOUSAND  AMERICAN  TEXANS. 

Robert  Worth  saw  it  with  an  irrepressible 
emotion  of  pride  and  satisfaction.  He  had 
faithfully  fulfilled  his  promise  to  his  con 
science,  and,  with  his  rifle  across  his  shoulder, 
and  his  revolvers  and  knife  in  his  belt,  was  tak 
ing  the  road  to  his  office  with  a  somewhat 
marked  deliberation.  He  was  yet  a  remark. 
ably  handsome  man  ;  and  what  man  is  there 
that  a  rifle  does  not  give  a  kind  of  nobility  to  ? 
With  an  up-head  carriage  and  the  light  of  his 
soul  in  his  face,  he  trod  the  narrow,  uneven 
street  like  a  soldier  full  of  enthusiasm  at  his 
own  commission. 


A    ? 'A  MO  US  BARBECUE.  89 

No  one  interfered  with  his  solitary  parade. 
He  perceived,  indeed,  a  marked  approval  of  it. 
The  Zavalas,  Navarros,  Garcias,  and  other 
prominent  citizens,  addressed  him  with  but  a 
slightly  repressed  sympathy.  They  directed 
his  attention  with  meaning  looks  to  the  counter- 
proclamation  of  the  Americans.  They  made 
him  understand  by  the  pressure  of  their  hands 
that  they  also  were  on  the  side  of  liberty. 

As  he  did  not  hurry,  he  met  several  officers, 
but  they  wisely  affected  not  to  see  what  they 
did  not  wish  to  see.  For  Doctor  Worth  was  a 
person  to  whom  very  wide  latitude  might  be 
given.  To  both  the  military  and  the  civilians 
his  skill  was  a  necessity.  The  attitude  he  had 
taken  was  privately  discussed,  but  no  one  pub 
licly  acted  or  even  commented  upon  it.  Per 
haps  he  was  a  little  disappointed  at  this.  He 
had  come  to  a  point  when  a  frank  avowal  of 
his  opinions  would  be  a  genuine  satisfaction ; 
when,  in  fact,  his  long-repressed  national  feel 
ing  was  imperious. 

On  the  third  morning,  as  he  crossed  the 
Plaza,  some  one  called  him.  The  voice  made 
his  heart  leap  ;  his  whole  nature  responded  to 
it  like  the  strings  of  a  harp  to  the  sweep  of  a 


90  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

skilful  hand.  He  turned  quickly,  and  saw  two 
young  men  galloping  towards  him.  The  fore 
most  figure  was  his  son — his  beloved  youngest 
son — whom  he  had  just  been  thinking  of  as 
well  out  of  danger,  safe  and  happy  in  the  peace 
ful  halls  of  Columbia.  And  lo  !  here  he  was 
in  the  very  home  of  the  enemy ;  and  he  was 
glad  of  it. 

"  Why,  Jack  !  "  he  cried  ;  "  Why,  Jack,  my 
boy!  I  never  thought  of  you  here."  He  had 
his  hand  on  the  lad's  shoulder,  and  was  gazing 
into  his  bright  face  with  tears  and  smiles  and 
happy  wonder. 

"  Father,  I  had  to  come.  And  there  are 
plenty  more  coming.  And  here  is  my  other 
self — the  best  fellow  that  ever  lived :  Darius 
Grant.  'Dare'  we  call  him,  father,  for  there  is 
not  anything  he  won't  venture  if  he  thinks  it 
worth  the  winning.  And  how  is  mi  madre  and 
Antonia,  and  Iza?  And  isn't  it  jolly  to  see 
you  with  a  rifle  ?  " 

"  Well,  Dare;  well,  Jack;  you  are  both  wel 
come  ;  never  so  welcome  to  Texas  as  at  this 
hour.  Come  home  at  once  and  refresh  your 
selves." 

There  was  so  much  to  tell  that  at  first  the 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  91 

Conversation  was  in  fragments  and  exclama 
tions,  arid  the  voices  of  the  two  young  men, 
pitched  high  and  clear  in  their  excitement, 
went  far  before  them  as  if  impatient  of  their 
welcome.  Antonia  heard  them  first.  She  was 
on  the  balcony,  standing  thoughtful  and  attent. 
It  seemed  to  her  as  if  in  those  days  she  was 
always  listening.  Jack's  voice  was  the  loudest, 
but  she  heard  Dare's  first.  It  vibrated  in  mid 
air  and  fell  upon  her  consciousness,  clear  and 
sweet  as  a  far-away  bell. 

"  That  is  Dare's  voice — here" 

She  leaned  forward,  her  soul  hearkened  after 
the  vibrations,  and  again  they  called  her. 
With  swift  steps  she  reached  the  open  door. 
Rachela  sat  in  her  chair  within  it. 

"  The  Seftorita  had  better  remain  within," 
she  said,  sullenly  ;  "  the  sun  grows  hot." 

"  Let  me  pass,  Rachela,  I  am  in  a  hurry." 

"  To  be  sure,  the  Seflorita  will  have  her 
way — good  or  bad." 

Antonia  heeded  her  not ;  she  was  hastening 
down  the  main  avenue  toward  the  gateway. 
This  avenue  was  hedged  on  each  side  with 
oleanders,  and  they  met  in  a  light,  waving  arch 
above  her  head.  At  this  season  they  were  one 


92  REMEMBER    TfTS  ALAMO. 

mass  of  pale  pink  blossoms  and  dark  glossy 
leaves.  The  vivid  sunshine  through  them 
made  a  rosy  light  which  tinged  her  face  and 
her  white  gown  with  an  indescribable  glow.  If 
a  mortal  woman  can  ever  look  like  an  angel, 
the  fair,  swiftly  moving  Antonia  had  at  that 
moment  the  angelic  expression  of  joy  and 
/ove  ;  the  angelic  unconsciousness  of  rapid  and 
graceful  movement  ;  the  angelic  atmosphere 
that  was  in  itself  a  dream  of  paradise ;  rose- 
tinted,  divinely  sweet  and  warm. 

Dare  saw  her  coming,  and  suddenly  ceased 
speaking  He  was  in  the  midst  of  a  sentence, 
but  he  forgot  what  he  was  saying.  He  forgot 
where  he  was.  He  knew  nothing,  felt  nothing, 
saw  nothing,  heard  nothing  but  Antonia.  And 
yet  he  did  not  fall  at  her  feet,  and  kiss  her  hands 
and  whisper  delightful  extravagances  ;  all  of 
which  things  an  Iberian  lover  would  have 
done,  and  felt  and  looked  in  the  doing  per- 
fectly  graceful  and  natural. 

Dare  Grant  only  clasped  both  the  pretty 
hands  held  out  to  him ;  only  said  "  Antonia !  An 
tonia!"  only  looked  at  her  with  eyes  full  of  a 
loving  question,  which  found  its  instant  answer 
in  her  own.  In  that  moment  they  revealed  to 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  93 

each  other  the  length  and  breadth,  the  height 
and  the  depth  of  their  affection.  They  had  not 
thought  of  disguising  it ;  they  made  no  attempt 
to  do  so;  and  Robert  Worth  needed  not  the 
confession  which,  a  few  hours  later,  Grant 
thought  it  right  to  make  to  him. 

When  they  entered  the  house  together,  a 
happy,  noisy  group,  Rachela  had  left  her  chair 
and  was  going  hurriedly  upstairs  to  tell  the 
Senora  her  surmise  ;  but  Jack  passed  her  with 
a  bound,  and  was  at  his  mother's  siae  before 
the  heavy  old  woman  had  comprehended  his 
passing  salutation. 

"  Madre  !     Mother,  I  am  here!  " 

The  Seftorawason  her  couch  in  her  darkened 
room.  She  had  been  at  the  very  earliest  mass, 
had  a  headache,  and  had  come  home  in  a 
state  of  rebellion  against  heaven  and  earth. 
But  Jack  was  her  idol,  the  one  child  for  whose 
presence  she  continually  pined,  the  one  human 
creature  to  whose  will  and  happiness  she  de 
lighted  to  sacrifice  her  own.  When  she  heard 
his  voice  she  rose  quickly,  crying  out  : 

"A  miracle  !  A  miracle !  Grace  of  God  and 
Mary,  a  miracle !  Only  this  morning,  my  pre 
cious,  my  boy  !  I  asked  the  Holy  Mother  to 


94  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

pity  my  sorrows,  and  send  you  to  me.  I  vow 
to  Mary  a  new  shrine.  I  vow  to  keep  it,  and 
dress  it  for  one  whole  year.  I  will  give  my 
opal  ring  to  the  poor.  Oh,  Juan  !  Juan  !  Juan  ! 
I  am  too  blessed." 

Her  words  were  broken  into  pieces  by  his 
kisses.  He  knelt  at  her  knees,  and  stroked  her 
face,  and  patted  her  hands,  and  did  all  with 
such  natural  fervor  and  grace,  that  anything 
else,  or  anything  less,  must  have  seemed  cold 
and  unfilial. 

"  Come,  my  beautiful  mother,  and  see  my 
friend.  I  have  told  him  so  much  about  you  ; 
and  poor  Dare  has  no  mother.  I  have  promised 
him  that  you  will  be  his  mother  also.  Dare 
is  so  good — the  finest  fellow  in  all  the  world  ; 
come  down  and  see  Dare,  and  let  us  have  a 
real  Mexican  dinner,  madre.  I  have  not  tasted 
an  olla  since  I  left  you." 

She  could  not  resist  him.  She  made  Rachela 
lay  out  her  prettiest  dress,  and  when  Jack  said 
"how  beautiful  your  hair  is,  mother;  no  one  has 
hair  like  you  !  "  she  drew  out  the  great  shell 
pins,  and  let  it  fall  like  a  cloud  around  her, 
and  with  a  glad  pride  gave  Rachela  the  order 
to  get  out  her  jewelled  comb  and  gilded  fan  and 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  95 

finest  mantilla.  And  oh  !  how  happy  is  that 
mother  who  has  such  pure  and  fervent  admira 
tion  from  her  son  ;  and  how  happy  is  that  son 
to  whom  his  mother  is  ever  beautiful ! 

Jack's  presence  drove  all  the  evil  spirits  out 
of  the  house.  The  windows  were  thrown  open  ; 
the  sunshine  came  in.  He  was  running  after 
Isabel,  he  was  playing  the  mandolin  ;  his  voice, 
his  laugh,  his  quick  footstep,  were  everywhere. 

In  spite  of  the  trouble  in  the  city,  there  was 
a  real  festival  in  the  house.  The  Seflora  came 
down  in  her  sweetest  temper  and  her  finest 
garments.  She  arranged  Jack's  dinner  herself, 
selected  the  dishes  and  gave  strict  orders  about 
their  serving.  She  took  Jack's  friend  at  once 
into  her  favor,  and  Dare  thought  her  wonder 
fully  lovely  and  gracious.  He  sat  with  her  on 
the  balcony,  and  talked  of  Jack,  telling  her  how 
clever  he  was,  and  how  all  his  comrades  loved 
him  for  his  sunny  temper  and  affectionate 
heart. 

It  was  a  happy  dinner,  lengthened  out  with 
merry  conversation.  Every  one  thought  that 
a  few  hours  might  be  given  to  family  love  and 
family  joy.  It  would  be  good  to  have  the 
memory  of  them  in  the  days  that  were  fast 


9<  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

coming.  So  they  sat  long  over  the  sweetmeats, 
and  fresh  figs,  and  the  pale  wines  of  Xeres  and 
Alicante.  And  they  rose  up  with  laughter, 
looking  into  each  others'  faces  with  eyes  that 
seemed  to  bespeak  love  and  remembrance. 
And  then  they  went  from  the  table,  and  saw 
not  Destiny  standing  cold  and  pitiless  behind 
them,  marking  two  places  for  evermore  vacant. 

There  was  not  much  siesta  that  day.  The 
Seftora,  Isabel  and  Jack  sat  together  ;  the 
Seftora  dozed  a  little,  but  not  enough  to  lose 
consciousness  of  Jack's  presence  and  Jack's 
voice.  The  father,  happy,  and  yet  acutely 
anxious,  went  to  and  fro  between  his  children 
and  his  study.  Antonia  and  Dare  were  in  the 
myrtle  walk  or  under  the  fig-tree.  This  hour 
was  the  blossoming  time  of  their  lives.  And  it 
was  not  the  less  sweet  and  tender  because  of 
the  dark  shadows  on  the  edge  of  the  sunshine. 
Nor  were  they  afraid  to  face  the  shadows,  to 
inquire  of  them,  and  thus  to  taste  the  deeper 
rapture  of  love  when  love  is  gemmed  with 
tears. 

It  was  understood  that  the  young  men  were 
going  away  in  the  morning  very  early ;  so 
early  that  their  adieus  must  be  said  with  their 


A    FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  97 

good-nights.  It  was  at  this  hour  that  the 
Senora  found  courage  to  ask : 

"  My  Juan,  where  do  you  go  ?  M 

"  To  Gonzales,  mi  madre." 

"But  why?  Oh,  Juan,  do  not  desert  your 
madre,  and  your  country!  " 

"  Desert  you,  madre  !  I  am  your  boy  to  my 
last  breath  !  My  country  I  love  with  my 
whole  soul.  That  is  why  I  have  come  back  to 
you  and  to  her!  She  is  in  trouble  and  her 
sons  must  stand  by  her." 

"  DO  not  talk  with  two  meanings.  Oh,  Juan  ! 
why  do  you  go  to  Gonzales?  " 

"  We  have  heard  that  Colonel  Ugartchea  is 
to  be  there  soon,  and  to  take  away  the  arms  of 
the  Americans.  That  is  not  to  be  endured. 
If  you  yourself  were  a  man,  you  would  have 
been  away  ere  this  to  help  them,  I  am 
sure." 

"  Me  ! 7  The  Blessed  Virgin  knows  I  would 
cut  off  my  hands  and  feet  first.  Juan,  listen  to 
me  dear  one  !  You  are  a  Mexican." 

"  My  heart  is  Mexican,  for  it  is  yours.  But 
I  must  stand  with  my  father  and  with  rny 
brother,  and  with  my  American  compatriots, 
we  slaves,  that  we  must  give  up  our  arms  ? 


9$  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

No,  but  if  we  gave  them  up  we  should  deserve 
to  be  slaves." 

"  God  and  the  saints  !  "  she  answered,  pas 
sionately.  "  What  a  trouble  about  a  few  guns  ! 
One  would  think  the  Mexicans  wanted  the 
wives  and  children,  the  homes  and  lands  of  the 
Americans.  They  cry  out  from  one  end  of 
Texas  to  the  other." 

"  They  cry  out  in  old  England  and  in  New 
England,  in  New  York,  in  New  Orleans,  and 
all  down  the  Mississippi.  And  men  are  crying 
back  to  them  :  '  Stand  to  your  rifles  and  we 
will  come  and  help  you  ! '  The  idea  of  disarm 
ing  ten  thousand  Americans  !  "  Jack  laughed 
with  scornful  amusement  at  the  notion. 
11  What  a  game  it  will  be  !  Mother,  you  can't 
tell  how  a  man  gets  to  love  his  rifle.  He  that 
takes  our  purse  takes  trash  ;  but  our  rifles  ! 
By  George  Washington,  that's  a  different 
story  !  " 

"  Juan,  my  darling,  you  are  my  last  hope. 
Your  brother  was  born  with  an  American 
heart.  He  has  even  become  a  heretic.  Fray 
Ignatius  says  he  went  into  the  Colorado  and 
was  what  they  call  immersed  ;  he  that  was  bap 
tized  with  holy  water  by  the  thrice  holy  bishop 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  99 

of  Durango.  My  beloved  one,  go  and  see  Fray 
Ignatius ;  late  as  it  is,  he  will  rise  and  counsel 
you." 

"  My  heart,  my  conscience,  my  country,  my 
father,  my  brother,  Santa  Anna's  despotism, 
have  already  counselled  me." 

"  Speak  no  more.  I  see  that  you  also  are  a 
rebel  and  a  heretic.  Mother  of  sorrows,  give 
me  thy  compassion  !  "  Then,  turning  to  Juan, 
she  cried  out :  "  May  God  pardon  me  for  hav* 
ing  brought  into  this  world  such  ingrates  !  Go 
from  me  !  You  have  broken  my  heart  !  " 

He  fell  at  her  feet,  and,  in  spite  of  her  reluc 
tance,  took  her  hands — 

"  Sweetest  mother,  wait  but  a  little  while. 
You  will  see  that  we  are  right.  Do  not  be 
cross  with  Juan.  I  am  going  away.  Kiss  me, 
mother.  Kiss  me,  and  give  me  your  bless 
ing." 

"  No,  I  will  not  bless  you.  I  will  not  kiss 
you.  You  want  what  is  impossible,  what  is 
wicked." 

"  I  want  freedom." 

"And  to  get  freedom  you  tread  upon  your 
mothers  heart.  Let  loose  my  hands.  I  am 
weary  to  death  of  this  everlasting  talk  of 


loo  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

freedom.  I  think  indeed  that  the  Americans 
know  but  two  words :  freedom  and  dollars. 
Ring  for  Rachela.  She,  at  least,  is  faithful  to 
me." 

"  Not  till  you  kiss  me,  mother.  Do  not 
send  me  away  unblessed  and  unloved.  That 
is  to  doom  me  to  misfortune.  Mi  madre,  I 
beg  this  favor  from  you."  He  had  risen,  but 
he  still  held  her  hands,  and  he  was  weeping 
as  innocent  young  men  are  not  ashamed  to 
weep. 

If  she  had  looked  at  him  !  Oh,  if  she  had 
but  once  looked  at  his  face,  she  could  not  have 
resisted  its  beauty,  its  sorrow,  its  imploration ! 
But  she  would  not  look.  She  drew  her  hands 
angrily  away  from  him.  She  turned  her  back 
upon  her  suppliant  son  and  imperiously  sum 
moned  Rachela. 

"  Good-by,  mi  madre." 

"  Good-by,  mi  madre  !" 

She  would  not  turn  to  him,  or  answer  him  <a 
word. 

"Mi  madre,  here  comes  Rachela!  Say 
'God  biess  you,  Juan.'  It  is  my  last  word, 
sweet  mother  !  " 

She  neither  moved  nor    spoke.     The  next 


A   FA  MO  US  BARBECUE.  I  o  I 

moment  Rachela  entered,  arxrv.:;be  .-wretched 
woman  abandoned  herself  to  'her  t  tare  *vith 
vehement  sobs  and  complainings'. 

Jack  was  inexpressibly  sorrowful.  He  went 
into  the  garden,  hoping  in  its  silence  and  soli 
tude  to  find  some  relief.  He  loved  his  mother 
with  his  strongest  affection.  Every  one  of  her 
sobs  wrung  his  heart.  Was  it  right  to  wound 
and  disobey  her  for  the  sake  of — freedom  ? 
Mother  was  a  certain  good ;  freedom  only  a 
glorious  promise.  Mother  was  a  living  fact ; 
freedom  an  intangible  idea. 

Ah,  but  men  have  always  fought  more  pas 
sionately  for  ideas  than  for  facts !  Tyrants 
are  safe  while  they  touch  only  silver  and  gold  ; 
but  when  they  try  to  bind  a  man's  ideals — the 
freedom  of  his  citizenship — the  purity  of  his 
faith — he  will  die  to  preserve  them  in  their  in 
tegrity. 

Besides,  freedom  for  every  generation  has 
but  her  hour.  If  that  hour  is  not  seized,  no 
other  may  come  for  the  men  who  have  suf 
fered  it  to  pass.  But  mother  would  grow 
more  loving  as  the  days  went  by.  And  this 
was  ever  the  end  of  Jack's  reasoning  ;  for  no 
man  knows  how  deep  the  roots  of  his  nature 


102  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

strike  into  his  flajtive  land,  until  he  sees  her  in 
thetgra&p'of;  a. tyrant,  and  hears  her  crying  to 
him  for  deliverance. 

The  struggle  left  the  impress  on  his  face. 
He  passed  a  boundary  in  it.  Certain  boyish 
feelings  and  graces  would  never  again  be  pos 
sible  to  him.  He  went  into  the  house,  weary, 
and  longing  for  companionship  that  would 
comfort  or  strengthen  him.  Only  Isabel  was 
in  the  parlor.  She  appeared  to  be  asleep 
among  the  sofa  cushions,  but  she  opened  her 
eyes  wide  as  he  took  a  chair  beside  her. 

"  I  have  been  waiting  to  kiss  you  again, 
Juan  ;  do  you  think  this  trouble  will  last  very 
long  ?  " 

"  It  will  be  over  directly,  Iza.  Do  not  fret 
yourself  about  it,  angel  mio.  The  Americans 
are  great  fighters,  and  their  quarrel  is  just. 
Well,  then,  it  will  be  settled  by  the  good  God 
quickly." 

"  Rachela  says  that  Santa  Anna  has  sent  off 
a  million  of  men  to  fight  the  Americans. 
Some  they  will  cut  in  pieces,  and  some  are  to 
be  sent  to  the  mines  to  work  in  chains." 

"  God  is  not  dead  of  old  age,  Iza.  Santa 
Anna  is  a  miraculous  tyrant.  He  has  com- 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  103 

mitted  every  crime  under  heaven,  but  I  think 
he  will  not  cut  the  Americans  in  pieces." 

"  And  if  the  Americans  should  even  make 
fcim  go  back  to  Mexico  !  " 

"  I  think  that  is  very  possible." 

"  What  then,  Juan?" 

"  He  would  pay  for  some  of  his  crimes  here  ; 
the  rest  he  would  settle  for  in  purgatory. 
And  you,  too,  Iza,  are  you  with  the  Ameri 
cans?" 

"  Luis  Alveda  says  they  are  right." 

"  Oh-h  !  I  see !  So  Luis  is  to  be  my  brother 
too.  Is  that  so,  little  dear?  " 

"  Have  you  room  in  your  heart  for  him  ?  Or 
has  this  Dare  Grant  filled  it?  " 

"  If  I  had  twenty  sisters,  I  should  have  room 
for  twenty  brothers,  if  they  were  like  Dare  and 
Luis.  But,  indeed,  Luis  had  his  place  there 
before  I  knew  Dare." 

"  And  perhaps  you  may  see  him  soon  ;  he  is 
with  Senor  Sam  Houston.  Seftor  Houston 
was  here  not  a  week  ago.  -  Will  you  think  of 
that  ?  And  the  mother  and  uncle  of  Luis  are 
angry  at  him ;  he  will  be  disinherited,  and  we 
shall  be  very  poor,  I  think.  But  there  is  always 
my  father,  who  loves  Luis." 


104  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Luis  will  win  his  own  inheritance.  I  think 
you  will  be  very  rich." 

"  And,  Juan,  if  you  see  Luis,  say  to  him, 
'  Iza  thinks  of  you  continually/  " 

At  this  moment  Rachela  angrily  called  her 
charge — 

"  Are  you  totally  and  forever  wicked,  disobe 
dient  one?  Two  hours  I  have  been  kept  wait 
ing.  Very  well !  The  Sisters  are  the  only 
duenna  for  you  ;  and  back  to  the  convent  you 
shall  go  to-morrow.  The  Sefiora  is  of  my 
mind,  also." 

"  My  father  will  not  permit  it.  I  will  go  to 
my  father.  And  think  of  this,  Rachela:  I  am 
no  longer  to  be  treated  like  a  baby."  But  she 
kissed  Juan  '  farewell/  and  went  away  without 
further  dispute. 

The  handsome  room  looked  strangely  lonely 
and  desolate  when  the  door  had  closed  behind 
her.  Jack  rose,  and  roughly  shook  himself,  as 
if  by  that  means  he  hoped  to  throw  off  the 
oppression  and  melancholy  that  was  invading 
even  his  light  heart.  Hundreds  of  moths  were 
dashing  themselves  to  death  against  the  high 
glass  shade  that  covered  the  blowing  candles 
from  them.  He  stood  and  looked  at  their 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  105 

hopeless  efforts  to  reach  the  flame.  He  had  an 
unpleasant  thought ;  one  of  those  thoughts 
which  have  the  force  of  a  presentiment.  He  put 
it  away  with  annoyance,  muttering,  "It  is  time 
enough  to  meet  misfortune  when  it  comes." 

The  sound  of  a  footstep  made  him  stand 
erect  and  face  the  door. 

It  was  only  a  sleepy  peon  with  a  request 
that  he  would  go  to  his  father's  study.  A  dif 
ferent  mental  atmosphere  met  him  there.  The 
doctor  was  walking  up  and  down  the  room, 
and  Dare  and  Antonia  sat  together  at  the  open 
window. 

"  Your  father  wants  to  hear  about  our  jour- 
ney,  Jack.  Take  my  chair  and  tell  him  what 
happened.  Antonia  and  I  will  walk  within 
hearing  ;  a  roof  makes  me  restless  such  a  night 
as  this";  for  the  waning  moon  had  risen,  and 
the  cool  wind  from  the  Gulf  was  shaking  a 
thousand  scents  from  the  trees  and  the  flower 
ing  shrubs. 

The  change  was  made  with  the  words,  and 
the  doctor  sat  down  beside  his  son.  "  I  was 
asking,  Jack,  how  you  knew  so  much  about 
Texan  affairs,  and  how  you  came  so  suddenly 
to  take  part  in  them  ?  " 


Io6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Indeed,  father,  we  could  not  escape  know. 
ing.  The  Texan  fever  was  more  or  less  in 
every  young  man's  blood.  One  night  Dare 
had  a  supper  at  his  rooms,  and  there  were 
thirty  of  us  present.  A  man  called  Faulkner — 
a  fine  fellow  from  Nacogdoches — spoke  to  us. 
How  do  you  think  he  spoke,  when  his  only 
brother,  a  lad  of  twenty,  is  working  in  a  Mexi 
can  mine  loaded  with  chains?" 

"  For  what  ?  " 

"  He  said  one  day  that  'the  natural  bound 
aries  of  the  United  States  are  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  oceans.'  He  was  sent  to  the  mines 
for  the  words.  Faulkner's  only  hope  for  him 
is  in  the  independence  of  Texas.  He  had  us 
on  fire  in  five  minutes — all  but  Sandy  McDon 
ald,  who  loves  to  argue,  and  therefore  took 
the  Mexican  side." 

"  What  could  he  say  for  it  ?  " 

"  He  said  it  was  a  very  unjust  like  thing  to 
make  Mexico  give  her  American  settlers  in 
Texas  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  millions 
of  acres  because  she  thought  a  change  of  gov 
ernment  best  for  her  own  interests." 

"The  Americans  settled  in  Texas  under  the 
solemn  guarantee  of  the  constitution  of  eighteen 


A   FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  107 

cwenty-four.     How  many  of  them  would  have 
built  homes  under  a  tyrannical  despotism  like 
that  Santa  Anna  is  now  forcing  upon  them  ? 
asked  the  doctor,  warmly. 

"  McDonald  said,  '  There  is  a  deal  of  talk 
about  freedom  among  you  Americans,  and  it 
just  means  nothing  at  all.'  You  should  have 
seen  Faulkner!  He  turned  on  him  like  a  tor 
nado.  'How  should  you  know  anything  about 
freedom,  McDonald?'  he  cried.  'You  are  in 
feudal  darkness  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland. 
You  have  only  just  emigrated  into  freedom. 
But  we  Americans  are  born  free  !  If  you  can 
not  feel  the  difference  between  a  federal  con 
stitution  and  a  military  and  religious  despotism, 
there  is  simply  no  use  talking  to  you.  How 
would  you  like  to  find  yourself  in  a  country 
where  suddenly  trial  by  jury  and  the  exercise 
of  your  religion  was  denied  you?  Of  course 
you  could  abandon  the  home  you  had  built, 
and  the  acres  you  had  bought  and  put  under 
cultivation,  and  thus  make  some  Mexican  heir 
to  your  ten  years'  labor.  Perhaps  a  Scot,  for 
conscience*  sake,  would  do  this.'  " 

"  And  what  answer  made  he  ?  " 

"  He  said, '  A  Scot  kens  how  to  grip  tight  to 


108  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

ten  years'  labor  as  well  as  yoursel',  Faulkner; 
and  neither  man  nor  de'il  can  come  between 
him  and  his  religion;  but — '  'But,'  shouted 
Faulkner ;  *  there  is  no  but !  It  is  God  and  our 
right!  God  and  our  right,  against  priestcraft 
and  despotism ! ' 

"  Then  every  one  of  us  leaped  to  our  feet,  and 
we  swore  to  follow  Faulkner  to  Texas  at  an 
hour's  notice ;  and  Sandy  said  we  were  '  a  par 
cel  of  fools ' ;  and  then,  would  you  believe  it, 
father,  when  our  boat  was  leaving  the  pier, 
amid  the  cheers  and  hurrahs  of  thousands, 
Sandy  leaped  on  the  boat  and  joined  us?" 

"  What  did  he  say  then  ?  " 

"  He  said,  '  I  am  a  born  fool  to  go  with  you, 
but  I  think  there  is  a  kind  o'  witchcraft  in  that 
word  Texas.  It  has  been  stirring  me  up  morn- 
ing  and  night  like  the  voice  o'  the  charmer, 
and  I  be  to  follow  it  though  I  ken  well  enough 
it  isna  leading  me  in  the  paths  o'  peace  and 
pleasantness ! ' ' 

"  Did  you  find  the  same  enthusiasm  outside 
of  New  York?" 

"  All  along  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  we  gath 
ered  recruits;  and  at  Randolph,  sixty  miles  above 
Memphis,  we  were  joined  by  David  Crockett." 


A    FAMOUS  BARBECUE.  109 

"Jack!" 

"  True,  father  !  And  then  at  every  landing 
*ve  took  on  men.  For  at  every  landing  Crock 
ett  spoke  to  the  people  ;  and,  as  we  stopped 
very  often,  we  were  cheered  all  the  way  down 
the  river.  The  Mediterranean,  though  the 
biggest  boat  on  it,  was  soon  crowded  ;  but  at 
Helena,  Crockett  and  a  great  number  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  expedition  got  off.  And  as 
Dare  and  Crockett  had  become  friends,  I  fol 
lowed  them." 

"  Where  did  you  go  to  ?  " 

"  We  went  ostensibly  to  a  big  barbecue  at 
John  Bowie's  plantation,  which  is  a  few  miles 
below  Helena.  Invitations  to  this  barbecue 
had  been  sent  hundreds  of  miles  throughout 
the  surrounding  country.  We  met  parties 
from  the  depths  of  the  Arkansas  wilderness 
and  the  furthest  boundaries  of  the  Choctaw 
nation  coming  to  it.  There  were  raftsmen 
from  the  Mississippi,  from  the  White,  and  the 
St.  Francis  rivers.  There  were  planters  from 
Lousiana  and  Tennessee.  There  were  woods 
men  from  Kentucky.  There  were  envoys  from 
New  Orleans,  Washington,  and  all  the  great 
Eastern  cities." 


HO  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMC, 

"I  had  an  invitation  myself,  Jack." 

"  I  wish  you  had  accepted  it.  It  was  worth 
the  journey.  There  never  was  and  there  never 
will  be  such  a  barbecue  again.  Thousands 
were  present.  The  woods  were  full  of  sheds 
and  temporary  buildings,  and  platforms  for  the 
speakers." 

"Who  were  the  speakers?" 

"  Crockett,  Hawkins,  General  Montgomery, 
Colonel  Beauford,  the  three  brothers  Cheat- 
harrt,  Doc.  Bennet,  and  many  others.  When 
the  woods  were  illuminated  at  night  with  pine 
knots,  you  may  imagine  the  scene  and  the  wild 
enthusiasm  that  followed  their  eloquence." 

"  Doc.  Bennet  is  a  good  partisan,  and  he  is 
enormously  rich." 

"  And  he  has  a  personal  reason  for  his  hatred 
of  Mexico.  An  insatiable  revenge  possesses 
him.  His  wife  and  two  children  were  barbar 
ously  murdered  by  Mexicans.  He  appealed  to 
those  who  could  not  go  to  the  fight  to  give 
money  to  aid  it,  and  on  the  spot  laid  down 
ten  thousand  dollars/' 

"Good!" 

"  Nine  other  men,  either  present  or  there  by 
proxy,  instantly  gave  a  like  sum,  and  thirty 


A   fAMOUS  BARBECUE.  ill 

thousand  in  smaller  sums  was  added  to  it. 
Every  donation  was  hailed  with  the  wildest 
transports,  and  while  the  woods  were  ringing 
with  electrifying  shouts,  Hawkins  rallied  three 
hundred  men  round  him  and  went  off  at  a 
swinging  galop  for  the  Brazos." 

"Oh,  Jack!  Jack!" 

"  In  another  hour,  the  rest  of  the  leaders  had 
gathered  their  detachments,  and  every  man  had 
turned  his  face  to  the  Texan  prairies.  Crockett 
was  already  far  advanced  on  the  way.  Sam 
Houston  was  known  to  be  kindling  the  fire  on 
the  spot  ;  and  I  suppose  you  know,  father," 
said  Jack,  sinking  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  "  that 
we  have  still  more  powerful  backers." 

"  General  Gain.es?" 

"  Well,  he  has  a  large  body  of  United  States 
troops  at  Nacogdoches.  He  says  they  are  to 
protect  the  people  of  Navasola  from  the 
Indians." 

"  But  Navasola  is  twenty-nine  miles  west  ol 
Nacogdoches." 

"  Navasola  is  in  Texas.  Very  well !  If  the 
United  States  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  pro 
tect  the  people  of  Navasola,  it  seems  they 
already  consider  Texas  within  their  boundary." 


112  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  You  think  the  Indians  a  mere  pretext? 

"  Of  course.  Crockett  has  with  him  an  autcx 
graph  letter  from  President  Jackson,  introduc 
ing  him  as  '  a  God-chosen  patriot/  President 
Jackson  already  sees  Texas  in  the  Union,  and 
Gaines  understands  that  if  the  American- 
Texans  should  be  repulsed  by  Santa  Anna,  and 
fall  back  upon  him,  that  he  may  then  gather 
them  under  his  standard  and  lead  them  for 
ward  to  victory — and  the  conquest  of  Texas. 
Father,  you  will  see  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on 
the  palaces  of  Mexico." 

"  Do  not  talk  too  fast,  Jack.  And  now,  go 
lie  down  on  my  bed.  In  four  hours  you  must 
leave,  if  you  want  to  reach  Gonzales  to-night  !  " 

Then  Dare  was  called,  and  the  lovers  knew 
that  their  hour  of  parting  was  come.  They 
said  nothing  of  the  fears  in  their  hearts  ;  and 
on  Antonia's  lifted  face  there  was  only  the 
light  of  love  and  of  hope. 

"The  fight  will  soon  be  over,  darling,  and 
then  !  " 

"  And  then  ?    We  shall  be  so  happy." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ROBERT    WORTH   IS   DISARMED. 

*•  Strange  sons  of  Mexico,  and  strange  her  fate ; 

They  fight  for  freedom  who  were  never  free ; 

A  kingless  people  for  a  nerveless  state." 

****** 
"  Not  all  the  threats  or  favors  of  a  crown, 

A  Prince's  whisper,  or  a  tyrant's  frown, 

Can  awe  the  spirit  or  allure  the  mind 

Of  him,  who  to  strict  Honor  is  inclined. 

Though  all  the  pomp  and  pleasure  that  does  wait 

On  public  places,  and  affairs  of  state ; 

Though  all  the  storms  and  tempests  should  arise, 

That  Church  magicians  in  their  cells  devise, 

And  from  their  settled  basis  nations  tear : 

He  would,  unmoved,  the  mighty  ruin  bear. 

Secure  in  innocence,  contemn  them  all, 

And,  decently  arrayed,  in  honor  fall." 
****** 

"  Say,  what  is  honor  ?     'Tis  the  finest  sense 
Of  justice  which  the  human  mind  can  frame." 

THE  keenest  sufferings  entailed  by  war  are 
not  on  the  battle-field,  nor  in  the  hospital. 
They   are    in  the    household.     There  are  the 
maimed  affections,  the  slain  hopes,  the  brok<*i 
ties  of  love.     And  before  a  sbot  had 


H4  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

in  the  war  of  Texan  independence,  the  battle 
had  begun  in  Robert  Worth's  household. 

The  young  men  lay  down  to  rest,  but  he  sat 
watching  the  night  away.  There  was  a  melan 
choly  sleepiness  in  it ;  the  mockingbirds  had 
ceased  singing ;  the  chirping  insects  had  become 
weary.  Only  the  clock,  with  its  regular  "  tick, 
tick/'  kept  the  watch  with  him. 

When  it  was  near  dawn,  he  lifted  a  candle 
and  went  into  the  room  where  Jack  and  Dare 
were  sleeping.  Dare  did  not  move ;  Jack 
opened  his  eyes  wide,  and  smiled  brightly  at 
the  intruder. 

"Well,  father?" 

"  It  is  time  to  get  up,  Jack.     Tell  Dare.** 

In  a  few  minutes  both  came  to  him.  A 
bottle  of  wine,  some  preserved  bears'  paws,  and 
biscuits  were  on  the  table.  They  ate  standing, 
speaking  very  little  and  almost  in  whispers ; 
and  then  the  doctor  went  with  them  to  the 
stable.  He  helped  Jack  to  saddle  his  horse. 
He  found  a  sad  pleasure  in  coming  so  close 
to  him.  Once  their  cheeks  touched,  and  the 
touch  brought  the  tears  to  his  eyes  and  sent 
the  blood  to  his  heart. 

With  his  hand  on  the  saddle,  Jack  paused 


ROBERT    IVOR  l.V  IS  DISARMED.  115 

and  said,  softly,  "  Father,  dear,  tell  mi  madrc 
my  last  look  at  the  house,  my  last  thought  in 
leaving  it,  was  for  her.  She  would  not  kiss  me 
or  bless  me  last  night.  Ask  her  to  kiss  you  for 
ine,"  and  then  the  lad  broke  fairly  down.  The 
moment  had  come  in  which  love  could  find  no 
utterance,  and  must  act.  He  flung  his  arm 
around  his  father's  neck  and  kissed  him.  And 
the  father  wept  also,  and  yet  spoke  brave  words 
to  both  as  he  walked  with  them  to  the  gate 
and  watched  them  ride  into  the  thick  mist 
lying  upon  the  prairie  like  a  cloud.  They  were 
only  darker  spots  in  it.  It  swallowed  them  up. 
They  were  lost  to  sight. 

He  thought  no  one  had  seen  the  boys  leave 
but  himself.  But  through  the  lattices  two 
sorrowful  women  also  watched  their  departure. 
The  Seftora,  as  wakeful  as  her  husband,  had 
heard  the  slight  movements,  the  unusual  noises 
of  that  early  hour,  and  had  divined  the  cause 
of  them.  She  looked  at  Rachela.  The  woman 
had  fallen  into  the  dead  sleep  of  exhaustion, 
and  she  would  not  have  to  parry  her  objections 
and  warnings.  Unshod,  and  in  her  night-dress, 
she  slipped  through  the  corridor  to  the  back  of 
the  house,  and  tightly  clasping  her  rosary  in 


Il6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

her  hands,  she  stood  behind  the  lattice  and 
watched  her  boy  away. 

He  turned  in  his  saddle  just  before  he  passed 
the  gate,  and  she  saw  his  young  face  lifted  with 
an  unconscious,  anxious  love,  to  the  very  lattice 
at  which  she  stood.  In  the  dim  light  it  had  a 
strange  pallor.  The  misty  air  blurred  and 
made  all  indistinct.  It  was  like  seeing  her 
Jack  in  some  woful  dream.  If  he  had  been 
dead,  such  a  vision  of  him  might  have  come  to 
her  from  the  shadow  land. 

Usually  her  grief  was  noisy  and  imperative 
of  sympathy.  But  this  morning  she  could  not 
cry  nor  lament.  She  went  softly  back  to  her 
room  and  sat  down,  with  her  crucifix  before  her 
aching  eyes.  Yet  she  could  not  say  her  usual 
prayers.  She  could  not  remember  anything 
but  Jack's  entreaty — "Kiss  me,  mi  madre! 
Bless  me,  mi  madre  !  "  She  could  not  see  any. 
thing  but  that  last  rapid  turn  in  the  saddle,  and 
that  piteous  young  face,  showing  so  weird  and 
dreamlike  through  the  gray  mist  of  the  early 
dawn. 

Antonia  had  watched  with  her.  Dare,  also, 
had  turned,  but  there  had  been  something  about 
Dare's  attitude  far  more  cheery  and  hopeful. 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISA RATED.  117 

On  the  previous  night  Antonia  had  put  some 
sprays  of  rosemary  in  his  hat-band  "  to  bring 
good,  and  keep  away  evil  on  a  journey";  and 
as  he  turned  and  lifted  his  hat  he  put  his  lips  to 
them.  He  had  the  belief  that  from  some  point 
his  Antonia  was  watching  him.  He  conveyed 
to  her,  by  the  strength  of  his  love  and  his  will, 
the  assurance  of  all  their  hopes. 

That  day  Doctor  Worth  did  not  go  out.  The 
little  bravado  of  carrying  arms  was  impossible 
to  him.  It  was  not  that  his  courage  had  failed, 
or  that  he  had  lost  a  tittle  of  his  convictions, 
but  he  was  depressed  by  the  uncertainty  of  his 
position  and  duty,  and  he  was,  besides,  the  thrall 
of  that  intangible  anxiety  which  we  call  pre 
sentiment. 

Yet,  however  dreary  life  is,  it  must  go  on. 
The  brave-hearted  cannot  drop  daily  duty* 
On  the  second  day  the  doctor  went  to  his  office 
again,  and  Antonia  arranged  the  meals  and  re 
ceived  company,  and  did  her  best  to  bring  the 
household  into  peaceful  accord  with  the  new 
elements  encroaching  on  it  from  all  sides. 

But  the  Sefiora  was  more  "  difficult  "  than 
even  Rachela  had  ever  seen  her  before.  She 
did  not  go  to  church,  but  Fray  Ignatius  spent 


Il8  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

a  great  deal  of  time  with  her ;  and  his  influence 
was  not  any  more  conciliating  than  that  of 
early  masses  and  much  fasting. 

He  said  to  her,  indeed  :  "  My  daughter,  you 
have  behaved  with  the  fortitude  of  a  saint.  It 
would  have  been  more  than  a  venial  sin,  if 
you  had  kissed  and  blessed  a  rebel  in  the  very 
act  of  his  rebellion.  The  Holy  Mary  will 
reward  and  comfort  you." 

But  the  Seftora  was  not  sensible  of  the 
reward  and  comfort ;  and  she  did  feel  most 
acutely  the  cruel  wound  she  had  given  her 
mother  love.  Neither  prayers  nor  penance 
availed  her.  She  wanted  to  see  Jack.  She 
wanted  to  kiss  him  a  hundred  times,  and  bless 
him  with  every  kiss.  And  it  did  not  help  her 
to  be  told  that  these  longings  were  the  sug 
gestions  of  the  Evil  One,  and  not  to  be 
listened  to. 

The  black-robed  monk,  gliding  about  his 
house  with  downcast  eyes  and  folded  hands, 
had  never  seemed  to  Robert  Worth  so  objec 
tionable.  He  knew  that  he  kept  the  breach 
open  between  himself  and  his  wife — that  he 
thought  it  a  point  of  religious  duty  to  do  so. 
He  knew  that  he  was  gradually  isolating  the 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  119 

wretched  woman  from  her  husband  and 
children,  and  that  the  continual  repetition  of 
prayers  and  penances  did  not  give  her  any 
adequate  comfort  for  the  wrong  she  was  doing 
her  affections. 

The  city  was  also  in  a  condition  of  the 
greatest  excitement.  The  soldiers  in  the 
Alamo  were  under  arms.  Their  officers  had 
evidently  received  important  advices  from 
Mexico.  General  Cos,  the  brother-in-law  of 
Santa  Anna,  was  now  in  command,  and  it  was 
said  immense  reinforcements  were  hourly 
looked  for.  The  drifting  American  population 
had  entirely  vanished,  but  its  palpable  absence 
inspired  the  most  thoughtful  of  the  people 
with  fear  instead  of  security. 

Nor  were  the  military  by  any  means  sure  of 
the  loyalty  of  the  city.  It  was  well  known 
that  a  large  proportion  of  the  best  citizens 
hated  the  despotism  of  Santa  Anna  ;  and  that 
if  the  Americans  attacked  San  Antonio,  they 
would  receive  active  sympathy.  Party  feel 
ing  was  no  longer  controllable.  Men  suspected 
each  other.  Duels  were  of  constant  occur* 
rence,  and  families  were  torn  to  pieces ;  for 
the  monks  supported  Santa  Anna  with  all  their 


120  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

influence,  and  there  were  few  women  who  dared 
to  disobey  them. 

Into  the  midst  of  this  turbulent,  touchy 
community,  there  fell  one  morning  a  word  or 
two  which  set  it  on  fire.  Doctor  Worth  was 
talking  on  the  Plaza  with  Seftor  Lopez  Navarro. 
A  Mexican  soldier,  with  his  yellow  cloak  stream 
ing  out  behind  him,  galloped  madly  towards 
the  Alamo  and  left  the  news  there.  It  spread 
like  wildfire.  "  There  had  been  a  fight  at 
Gonzales,  and  the  Americans  had  kept  their 
arms.  They  had  also  put  the  Mexicans  to 
flight." 

"  And  more,"  added  a  young  Mexican  com 
ing  up  to  the  group  of  which  Robert  Worth 
was  one,  "  Stephen  Austin  has  escaped,  and 
he  arrived  at  Gonzales  at  the  very  moment  of 
victory.  And  more  yet :  Americans  are  pour 
ing  into  Gonzales  from  every  quarter." 

An  officer  tapped  Doctor  Worth  on  the 
shoulder.  "  Sefior  Doctor,  your  arms.  Gen 
eral  Cos  hopes,  in  the  present  extremity,  you 
will  set  an  example  of  obedience." 

"  I  will  not  give  up  my  arms.  In  the  present 
extremity  my  arms  are  the  greatest  need  J, 
have." 


ROBERT    WOR7^H  IS  DISARMED.  1 21 

"  Then  Seftor, — it  is  a  great  affliction  to 
me — I  must  arrest  you." 

He  was  led  away,  amid  the  audible  murmurs 
of  the  men  who  filled  the  streets.  There 
needed  but  some  one  to  have  said  the  word, 
and  they  would  have  taken  him  forcibly  from 
the  military.  A  great  crowd  followed  him  to 
the  gates  of  the  Alamo.  For  there  was 
scarcely  a  family  in  San  Antonio  of  which  this 
good  doctor  vvas  not  an  adopted  member.  The 
arrest  of  their  favorite  confessor  would  hardly 
have  enraged  them  more. 

Fray  Ignatius  brought  the  news  to  the 
Sefiora.  Even  he  was  affected  by  it.  Never 
before  had  Antonia  seen  him  walk  except  with 
thoughtful  and  deliberate  steps.  She  wondered 
at  his  appearance;  at  its  suppressed  hurry;  at 
a  something  in  it  which  struck  her  as  sup 
pressed  satisfaction. 

And  the  priest  was  in  his  heart  satisfied  ; 
though  he  was  consciously  telling  himself 
that  "  he  was  sorry  for  the  Sefiora,  and  that 
he  would  have  been  glad  if  the  sins  of  her 
husband  could  have  been  set  against  the  works 
of  supererogation  which  the  saints  of  his  own 
convent  had  amassed," 


122  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  But  he  is  an  infidel ;  he  believes  not  in  the 
saints,"  he  muttered  ;  "  then  how  could  they 
avail  him  !  " 

Antonia  met  him  at  the  door.  He  said  an 
Ave  Maria  as  he  crossed  the  threshold,  and 
gave  her  his  hand  to  kiss.  She  looked  won-- 
deringly  in  his  face,  for  unless  it  was  a  special 
visit,  he  never  called  so  near  the  Angelus. 
Still,  it  is  difficult  to  throw  off  a  habit  of  obedi 
ence  formed  in  early  youth ;  and  she  did  not 
feel  as  if  she  could  break  through  the  chill 
atmosphere  of  the  man  and  ask :  "  For  what 
reason  have  you  come,  father  ?  " 

A  long,  shrill  shriek  from  the  Seftora  was 
the  first  answer  to  the  fearful  question  in  her 
heart.  In  a  few  moments  she  was  at  her 
mother's  door.  Rachela  knelt  outside  it,  tell 
ing  her  rosary.  She  stolidly  kept  her  place, 
and  a  certain  instinct  for  a  moment  prevented 
Antonia  interrupting  her.  But  the  passionate 
words  of  her  mother,  blending  with  the  low, 
measured  tones  of  the  priest,  were  something 
far  more  positive. 

11  Let  me  pass  you,  Rachela.  What  is  the 
matter  with  my  mother  ?  " 

The  woman   was  absorbed  in  her  supplica- 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  123 

tions,  and  Antonia  opened  the  door.  Isabel 
followed  her.  They  found  themselves  in  the 
the  presence  of  an  angry  sorrow  that  appalled 
them.  The  Seflora  had  torn  her  lace  mantilla 
into  shreds,  and  they  were  scattered  over  the 
room  as  she  had  flung  them  from  her  hands  in 
her  frantic  walk  about  it.  The  large  shell  comb 
that  confined  her  hair  was  trodden  to  pieces, 
and  its  long  coils  had  fallen  about  her  face  and 
shoulders.  Her  bracelets,  her  chain  of  gold, 
her  brooch  and  rings  were  scattered  on  the 
floor,  and  she  was  standing  in  the  centre  of  it. 
like  an  enraged  creature ;  tearing  her  handker 
chief  into  strips,  as  an  emphasis  to  her  passion- 
ate  denunciations. 

"  It  serves  him  right !  Jesus!  Maria  !  Joseph! 
It  serves  him  right!  He  must  carry  arms! 
He,  too  !  when  it  was  forbidden  !  I  am  glad 
he  is  arrested  !  Oh,  Roberto  !  Roberto  !  " 

"  Patience,  my  daughter  !  This  is  the  hand 
of  God.  What  can  you  do  but  submit  ?  " 

"  What  is  it,  mi  madre  ?  "  and  Isabel  put  her 
arms  around  her  mother  with  the  words  mi 
madre.  "  Tell  Isabel  your  sorrow." 

u  Your  father  is  arrested — taken  to  the 
Alamo — he  will  be  sent  to  the  mines.  I  told 


124  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

him  so !  I  told  him  so  !  He  would  not  listen 
to  me  !  How  wicked  he  has  been  !  " 

"  What  has  my  father  done,  Fray  Ignatius3 
Why  have  they  arrested  him  ?  " 

The  priest  turned  to  Antonia  with  a  cold 
face.  He  did  not  like  her.  He  felt  that  she 
did  not  believe  in  him. 

"  Seftorita,  he  has  committed  a  treason.  A 
good  citizen  obeys  the  law  ;  Sefior  Worth  has 
defied  it." 

"  Pardon,  father,  I  cannot  believe  it." 

"  A  great  forbearance  has  been  shown  him, 
but  the  end  of  mercy  comes.  As  he  persisted 
in  wearing  arms,  he  has  been  taken  to  the 
Alamo  and  disarmed." 

"  It  is  a  great  shame  !  An  infamous  shame 
and  wrong  !  "  cried  Antonia.  "  What  right  has 
any  one  to  take  my  father's  arms  ?  No  more 
than  they  have  to  take  his  purse  or  his  coat." 

"  General  Santa  Anna — " 

"  General  Santa  Anna  is  a  tyrant  and  a  thief. 
I  care  not  who  says  different." 

"  Antonia  !     Shameless  one  !  " 

"  Mother,  do  not  strike  me."  Then  she  took 
her  mother's  hands  in  her  own,  and  led  her  to 
a  couch,,  caressing-  her  as  she  spoke — 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  125 

"  Don't  believe  any  one — any  one,  mother, 
who  says  wrong  of  my  father.  You  know  that 
he  is  the  best  of  men.  Rachela !  Come  here 
instantly.  The  rosary  is  not  the  thing,  now. 
You  ought  to  be  attending  to  the  Sefiora.  Get 
her  some  valerian  and  some  coffee,  and  come 
and  remove  her  clothing.  Fray  Ignatius,  we 
will  beg  you  to  leave  us  to-night  to  ourselves." 

"  Your  mother's  sin,  in  marrying  a  heretic, 
has  now  found  her  out.  It  is  my  duty  to  make 
her  see  her  fault." 

'*  My  mother  had  a  dispensation  from  one 
greater  than  you." 

"  Oh,  father,  pray  for  me  !  I  accuse  myself  ! 
I  accuse  myself !  Oh,  wretched  woman  !  Oh, 
cruel  husband !  " 

"  Mother,  you  have  been  a  very  happy 
woman.  You  have  had  the  best  husband  in 
the  world.  Do  not  reproach  my  father  for  the 
sins  of  others.  Do  not  desert  him  when  he  is 
in  the  power  of  a  human  tiger.  My  God, 
mother  !  let  us  think  of  something  to  be  done 
for  his  help  !  I  will  see  the  Navarros,  the  Gar- 
cias,  Judge  Valdez  ;  I  will  go  to  the  Plaza  and 
call  on  the  thousands  he  has  cured  and  helped 
to  set  him  free," 


126  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

"  You  will  make  of  yourself  something  not 
to  be  spoken  of.  This  is  the  judgment  of  God, 
my  daughter." 

"  It  is  the  judgment  of  a  wicked  man,  Fray 
Ignatius.  My  mother  is  not  now  able  to 
listen  to  you.  Isabel,  come  here  and  comfort 
her."  Isabel  put  her  cheek  to  her  mother's ; 
she  murmured  caressing  words  ;  she  kissed  her 
face,  and  coiled  up  her  straggling  hair,  and 
with  childlike  trust  amid  all,  solicited  Holy 
Mary  to  console  them. 

Fray  Ignatius  watched  her  with  a  cold 
scrutiny.  He  was  saying  to  himself,  "  It  is 
the  fruit  of  sin.  I  warned  the  Seftora,  when 
she  married  this  heretic,  that  trouble  would 
come  of  it.  Very  well,  it  has  come.  Then 
like  a  flash  a  new  thought  invaded  his  mind — 
If  the  Sefior  Doctor  disappeared  forever, 
why  not  induce  the  Seflora  and  her  daughters 
to  go  into  a  religious  house  ?  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  money.  The  church  could  use 
it  well. 

Antonia  did  not  understand  the  thought, 
but  she  understood  its  animus,  and  again  she 
requested  his  withdrawal.  This  time  she  went 
close  to  him,  and  bravely  looked  straight  into 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED,  127 

his  eyes.  Their  scornful  gleam  sent  a  chill  to 
her  heart  like  that  of  cold  steel.  At  that 
moment  she  understood  that  she  had  turned  a 
passive  enemy  into  an  active  one. 

He  went,  however,  without  further  parley, 
stopping  only  to  warn  the  Sefiora  against  the 
sin  "  of  standing  with  the  enemies  of  God 
and  the  Holy  Church,"  and  to  order  Isabel 
to  recite  for  her  mother's  pardon  and  comfort 
a  certain  number  of  aves  and  paternosters. 
Antonia  went  with  him  to  the  door,  and  ere  he 
left  he  blessed  her,  and  said  :  4<  The  Seflorita 
will  examine  her  soul  and  see  her  sin.  Then 
the  ever  merciful  Church  will  hear  her  confes 
sion,  and  give  her  the  satisfying  penance." 

Antonia  bowed  in  response.  When  people 
are  in  great  domestic  sorrow,  self-examination 
is  a  superfluous  advice.  She  listened  a  mo 
ment  to  his  departing  footsteps,  shivering  as 
she  stood  in  the  darkness,  for  a  norther  had 
sprung  up,  and  the  cold  was  severe.  She  only 
glanced  into  the  pleasant  parlor  where  the 
table  was  laid  for  dinner,  and  a  great  fire  of 
cedar  logs  was  throwing  red,  dancing  lights 
over  the  white  linen  and  the  shining  silver  and 
glass.  The  chairs  were  placed  around  the 


128  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

table ;  her  father's  at  the  head.  It  had  a  for* 
saken  air  that  was  unendurable. 

The  dinner  hour  was  now  long  past.  It 
would  be  folly  to  attempt  the  meal.  How 
could  she  and  Isabel  sit  down  alone  and  eat, 
and  her  father  in  prison,  and  her  mother 
frantic  with  a  loss  which  she  was  warned  it  was 
sinful  to  mourn  over.  Antonia  had  a  soul 
made  for  extremities  and  not  afraid  to  face 
them,  but  invisible  hands  controlled  her. 
What  could  a  woman  do,  whom  society  had 
forbidden  to  do  anything,  but  endure  the 
pangs  of  patience  ? 

The  Sefiora  could  offer  no  suggestions.  She 
was  not  indeed  in  a  mood  to  think  of  her  re 
sources.  A  spiritual  dread  was  upon  her. 
And  with  this  mingled  an  intense  sense  of 
personal  wrong  from  her  husband.  "  Had  she 
not  begged  him  to  be  passive  ?  And  he  had 
put  an  old  rifle  before  her  and  her  daughters! 
It  was  all  that  Sefior  Houston's  doing.  She 
had  an  assurance  of  that."  She  invoked  a 
thousand  maledictions  on  him.  She  recalled, 
with  passionate  reproaches,  Jack's  infidelity  to 
her  and  his  God  and  his  country.  Her  anger 
passed  from  one  subject  to  another  constantly, 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  129 

finding  in  all,  even  in  the  lukewarmness  of 
Antonia  and  Isabel,  and  in  their  affection  for 
lovers,  who  were  also  rebels,  an  accumulating 
reason  for  a  stupendous  reproach  against  her 
self,  her  husband,  her  children,  and  her  un 
happy  fate.  Her  whole  nature  was  in  revolt — 
in  that  complete  mental  and  moral  anarchy 
from  which  springs  tragedy  and  murder. 

Isabel  wept  so  violently  that  she  angered 
still  further  the  tearless  suffering  of  her  mother. 
"  God  and  the  saints!  "  she  cried.  "  What  are 
you  weeping  for?  Will  tears  do  any  good? 
Do  I  weep  ?  God  has  forbidden  me  to  weep 
for  the  wicked.  Yet  how  I  suffer!  Mary, 
mother  of  sorrows,  pity  me  !  " 

She  sent  Isabel  away.  Her  sobs  were  not 
to  be  borne.  And  very  soon  she  felt  Antonia's 
white  face  and  silent  companionship  to  be  just 
as  unendurable.  She  would  be  alone.  Not 
even  Rachela  would  she  have  near  her.  She 
put  out  all  the  lights  but  the  taper  above  a 
large  crucifix,  and  at  its  foot  she  sat  down  in 
tearless  abandon,  alone  with  her  reproaches 
and  her  remorse. 

Antonia  watched  with  her  mother,  though 
shut  out  from  her  presence.  She  feared  for  a 


130  REMhulBER    THE   ALAMO. 

state  of  mind  so  barren  of  affection,  so  unsoft' 
ened  by  tears.  Besides,  it  was  the  climax  of  a 
condition  which  had  continued  ever  since  she 
had  sent  her  boy  away  without  a  word  of  love. 
In  the  dim  corridor  outside  she  sat  still,  listen 
ing  for  any  noise  or  movement  which  might 
demand  help  or  sympathy.  It  was  not  nine 
o'clock;  but  the  time  lengthened  itself  out  be 
yond  endurance.  Even  yet  she  had  hope  of 
some  word  from  her  father.  Surely,  they  would 
let  him  send  some  word  to  them ! 

She  heard  the  murmur  of  voices  downstairs, 
and  she  thought  angrily  of  Rachela,  and  Molly, 
and  Manuel,  "  making  a  little  confidence 
together  "  over  their  trouble,  and  spicing  their 
evening  gossip  with  the  strange  thing  that  had 
happened  to  the  Seftor  Doctor.  She  knew  that 
Rachela  and  Manuel  would  call  him  heretic 
and  Americano,  and,  by  authority  of  these  two 
words,  accuse  him  of  every  crime. 

Thinking  with  a  swelling  heart  of  these 
things,  she  heard  the  door  open,  and  a  step 
slowly  and  heavily  ascend  the  stairs.  Ere  she 
had  time  to  wonder  at  it,  her  father  came  in 
sight.  There  was  a  shocking  change  in  his  air 
and  appearance,  but  as  he  was  evidently  going 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  131 

to  her  mother's  room,  she  shrank  back  and  sat 
motionless  so  as  not  to  attract  his  attention. 

Then  she  went  to  the  parlor,  and  had  the  fire 
renewed  and  food  put  upon  the  table.  She 
was  sure  that  he  would  need  it,  and  she  be 
lieved  he  would  be  glad  to  talk  over  with  her 
the  events  of  the  afternoon. 

The  Sefiora  was  still  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the 
crucifix  when  her  husband  opened  the  door. 
She  had  not  been  able  to  pray ;  ave  and  pater 
noster  alike  had  failed  her.  Her  rebellious 
grief  filled  every  corner  of  her  heart.  She  un 
derstood  that  some  one  had  entered  the  room, 
and  she  thought  of  Rachela ;  but  she  found  a 
kind  of  comfort  in  the  dull  stupor  of  grief  she 
was  indulging,  and  she  would  not  break  its 
spell  by  lifting  her  head. 

"  Maria." 

She  rose  up  quickly  and  stood  gazing  at 
him. 

She  did  not  shriek  or  exclaim ;  her  surprise 
controlled  her.  And  also  her  terror ;  for  his 
face  was  white  as  death,  and  had  an  expression 
of  angry  despair  that  terrified  her. 

"Roberto!  Roberto!  Mi  Roberto!  How 
you  have  tortured  me!  I  have  nearly  died! 


I32  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Fray  Ignatius  said  you  had  been  sent  to 
prison." 

She  spoke  as  calmly  as  a  frightened  child ; 
sad  and  hesitating.  If  he  had  taken  her  in  his 
arms  she  would  have  sobbed  her  grief  away 
there. 

But  Robert  Worth  was  at  that  hour  pos 
sessed  by  two  master  passions,  tyrannical  and 
insatiable — they  would  take  notice  of  nothing 
that  did  not  minister  to  them. 

"  Maria,  they  have  taken  my  arms  from  me. 
Cowards !  Cowards  !  Miserable  cowards !  I 
refused  to  give  them  up  !  They  held  my  hands 
and  robbed  me — robbed  me  of  my  manhood 
and  honor!  I  begged  them  to  shoot  me  ere 
they  did  it,  and  they  spoke  courteously  and  re 
gretted  this,  and  hoped  that,  till  I  felt  that  it 
would  be  a  joy  to  strangle  them." 

"  Roberto  I     Mi  Roberto  !     You  have  me  !  " 

"  I  want  my  rifle  and  all  it  represents.  I 
want  myself  back  again.  Maria,  Maria,  until 
then,  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  any  good  woman's 
husband  ! " 

"  Roberto,  dearest !     It  is  not  your  fault." 

"  It  is  my  fault.  I  have  waited  too  long. 
My  sons  showed  me  my  duty — my  soul  urged 


ROBERT    WOR'TH  IS  DISARMED.  133 

me  to  do  it.  I  deserve  the  shame,  but  I  will 
wipe  it  out  with  crimson  blood.'* 

The  Seflora  stood  speechless,  wringing  her 
hands.  Her  own  passion  was  puny  beside  the 
sternness,  the  reality,  and  the  intensity  of  the 
quiet  rage  before  her.  She  was  completely 
mastered  by  it.  She  forgot  all  but  the  evident 
agony  she  could  neither  mistake  nor  console. 

"  I  have  come  to  say  'farewell,'  Maria.  We 
have  been  very  happy  together — Maria — our 
children — dearest — " 

"Oh,  Roberto!  My  husband!  My  soul! 
My  life  !  Leave  me  not." 

"  I  am  going  for  my  arms.  I  will  take  them 
a  hundredfold  from  those  who  have  robbed  me. 
I  swear  I  will!  " 

"You  do  not  love  me.  What  are  these 
Americans  to  you  ?  I  am  your  wife.  Your 
Maria — " 

"  These  Americans  are  my  brothers — my 
sons.  My  mother  is  an  American  woman." 

"And  I?" 

"  You  are  my  wife — my  dear  wife !  I  love 
you — God  Almighty  knows  how  well  I  love 
you  ;  but  we  must  part  now,  at  least  for  a 
short  time.  Maria,  my  dear  one,  I  must  go." 


134  REMEMBER    7 'HE  ALAMO. 

"Go?     Whereto?" 

"  I  am  going  to  join  General  Houston." 

"  I  thought  so.  I  knew  it.  The  accursed 
one !  Oh  that  I  had  him  here  again  !  I  would 
bury  my  stiletto  in  his  heart !  Over  the  white 
hilt  I  would  bury  it !  I  would  wash  my  hands 
in  his  blood,  and  think  them  blessed  ever 
afterwards !  Stay  till  daylight,  Roberto.  I 
have  so  much  to  say,  dearest." 

"  I  cannot.  I  have  stayed  too  long.  And 
now  I  must  ride  without  a  gun  or  knife  to 
protect  me.  Any  Indian  that  I  meet  can  scalp 
me.  Do  you  understand  now  what  disarming 
means,  Maria?  If  I  had  gone  with  my  boy, 
with  my  brave  Jack,  I  could  at  least  have 
sold  my  life  to  its  last  drop." 

"  In  the  morning,  Roberto,  Lopez  Navarro 
will  get  you  a  gun.  Oh,  if  you  must  go,  do 
not  go  unarmed  !  There  are  ten  thousand 
Comanche  between  here  and  the  Brazos." 

"  How  could  I  look  Lopez  Navarro  in  the 
face?  Or  any  other  man?  No,  no  !  I  must  win 
back  my  arms,  before  I  can  walk  the  streets  of 
San  Antonio  again." 

He  took  her  in  his  arms,  he  kissed  her  eyes, 
her  cheeks,  her  lips,  murmuring  tender  little 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  135 

Spanish  words  that  meant,  oh,  so  much,  to 
the  wretched  woman  ! — words  she  had  taught 
him  with  kisses — words  he  never  used  but  to 
her  ears  only. 

She  clung  to  his  neck,  to  his  hands,  to  his 
feet ;  she  made  his  farewell  an  unspeakable 
agony.  At  last  he  laid  her  upon  her  couch, 
sobbing  and  shrieking  like  a  child  in  an  ex 
tremity  of  physical  anguish.  But  he  did  not 
blame  her.  Her  impetuosities,  her  unreason 
able  extravagances,  were  a  part  of  her  nature, 
her  race,  and  her  character.  He  did  not  ex 
pect  a  weak,  excitable  woman  to  become  sud 
denly  a  creature  of  flame  and  steel. 

But  it  was  a  wonderful  rest  to  his  exhausted 
body  and  soul  to  turn  from  her  to  Antonia. 
She  led  him  quietly  to  his  chair  by  the  parlor 
fire.  She  gave  him  food  and  wine.  She  lis 
tened  patiently,  but  with  a  living  sympathy, 
to  his  wrong.  She  endorsed,  with  a  clasp  of 
his  hand  and  a  smile,  his  purpose.  And  she 
said,  almost  cheerfully : 

"  You  have  not  given  up  all  your  arms, 
father.  When  I  first  heard  of  the  edict,  I  hid 
in  my  own  room  the  rifle,  the  powder  and  the 
shot,  which  were  in  your  study.  Paola  has 


*36  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

knives  in  the  stable ;  plenty  of  them.  Get  one 
from  him.tv 

Good  news  is  a  very  relative  thing.  This 
information  made  the  doctor  feel  as  if  all 
were  now  easy  and  possible.  The  words  he 
said  to  her,  Antonia  never  forgot.  They  sang 
in  her  heart  like  music,  and  led  her  on  through 
many  a  difficult  path.  The  conversation  then 
turned  upon  money  matters,  and  Antonia  re 
ceived  the  key  of  his  study,  and  full  direc 
tions  as  to  the  gold  and  papers  secreted 
there. 

Then  Isabel  was  awakened,  and  the  rifle 
brought  down  ;  and  Paola  saddled  the  fleetest 
horse  in  the  stable,  and  after  one  solemn  five 
minutes  with  his  daughter,  Robert  Worth  rode 
away  into  the  midnight  darkness,  and  into  a 
chaos  of  public  events  of  which  no  man  living 
could  forecast  the  outcome. 

Rode  away  from  wife  and  children  and 
home  ;  leaving  behind  him  the  love  and  labor 
of  his  lifetime — 

*  The  thousand  sweet,  still  joys  of  such 
As  hand  in  hand  face  earthly  life." 

For  what  ?  For  justice,  for  freedom  of  thought 
and  action,  for  the  rights  of  his  manhood,  for 


ROBERT    WORTH  IS  DISARMED.  137 

the  brotherhood  of  race  and  religion  and 
country.  Antonia  and  Isabel  stood  hand  in 
hand  at  the  same  lattice  from  which  the  Sefiora 
had  watched  her  son  away,  and  in  a  dim,  un 
certain  manner  these  thoughts  connected  them 
selves  in  each  mind  with  the  same  mournful 
inquiry — Is  it  worth  while  ? 

As  the  beat  of  the  horse's  hoofs  died  away, 
they  turned.  The  night  was  cold  but  clear, 
and  the  sky  appeared  so  high  that  their  eyes 
throbbed  as  they  gazed  upward  at  the  grand 
arch,  sprinkled  with  suns  and  worlds.  Sud 
denly  into  the  tranquil  spaces  there  was  flung 
a  sound  of  joy  and  revelry ;  and  the  girls 
stepped  to  a  lattice  at  the  end  of  the  corridor 
and  looked  out. 

The  residencia  of  Don  Salvo  Valasco  was 
clearly  visible  from  this  site.  They  saw  that 
it  was  illuminated  throughout.  Lovely  women, 
shining  with  jewels,  and  soldiers  in  scarlet  and 
gold,  were  chatting  through  the  graceful  move 
ments  of  the  danza,  or  executing  the  more 
brilliant  Jota  Aragonesa.  The  misty  beauty 
of  white  lace  mantillas,  the  glitter  and  color  of 
fans  and  festival  dresses,  made  a  moving 
picture  of  great  beauty. 


138  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

And  as  they  watched  it  there  was  a  cessa 
tion  of  the  dance,  followed  by  the  rapid  sweep 
of  a  powerful  hand  over  the  strings  of  a  guitar. 
Then  a  group  of  officers  stepped  together,  and 
a  great  wave  of  melodious  song,  solemn  and 
triumphant,  thrilled  the  night.  It  was  the 
national  hymn.  Antonia  and  Isabel  knew  it. 
Every  word  beat  upon  their  hearts.  The  power 
of  association,  the  charm  of  a  stately,  fervent 
melody  was  upon  them. 

"  It  is  Sefior  Higadillos  who  leads/'  whis 
pered  Isabel,  as  a  resonant  voice,  powerful  and 
sweet,  cried — 

"  O  list  to  the  summons  !    The  blood  of  our  sires, 
Boils  high  in  our  veins,  and  to  vengeance  inspires  ! 
Who  bows  to  the  yoke  ?  who  bends  to  the  blow  ?  " 

and,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  answer 
came  in  a  chorus  of  enthusiastic  cadences — 

"  No  hero  will  bend,  no  Mexican  bow  ; 
Our  country  in  tears  sends  her  sons  to  the  fight, 
To  conquer,  or  die,  for  our  land  and  our  right." 

"  You  see,  the  Mexicans  think  they  are  in 
the  right — they  are  patriots  also,  Antonia." 

The  sorrowful  girl  spoke  like  a  puzzled  child, 
fretfully  and  uncertainly,  and  Antonia  led  her 


ROBERT    WORTH  AS   DISARMED.  139 

silently  away.  What  could  she  answer?  And 
when  she  remembered  the  dear  fugitive,  riding 
alone  through  the  midnight — riding  now  for 
life  and  liberty — she  could  not  help  the  uprising 
igain  of  that  cold  benumbing  question — "  Is  it 
vorth  while  ?  " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A    MEETING    AT    MIDNIGHT. 

**  All  faiths  are  to  their  own  believers  just, 
For  none  believe  because  they  will,  but  must ; 
The  priest  continues  what  the  nurse  began, 
And  thus  the  child  imposes  on  the  man." 

— DRYDEN. 

"-—if  he  be  called  upon  to  face 
Some  awful  moment,  to  which  heaven  has  joined 
Great  issues  good  or  bad  for  humankind, 
Is  happy  as  a  lover  ;  and  attired 
With  sudden  brightness,  like  a  man  inspired  ; 
And  through  the  heat  of  conflict  keeps  the  law 
In  calmness  made  ;  and  sees  what  he  foresaw, 
Or,  if  an  unexpected  call  succeed, 
Come  when  it  will,  is  equal  to  the  need." 

— WORDSWORTH. 

"  Ah  !  love,  let  us  be  true 

To  one  another,  through  the  world  which  seems 
To  lie  before  us  like  a  land  of  dreams  I  " 

HHHE  gathering  at   Don  Valasco's  was  con- 

J.       stantly  repeated  in    various   degrees  of 

splendor    among    the  loyal  Mexicans  of   the 

city.     They  were  as    fully   convinced  of  the 

justice  of  their  cause  as  the  Americans  were. 

140 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  14* 

'  They  had  graciously  permitted  Americans  to 
make  homes  in  their  country  ;  now  they  wanted 
not  only  to  build  heretic  churches  and  sell  her- 
etic  bibles,  but  also  to  govern  Texas  after  their 
own  fashion."  From  a  Mexican  point  of  view 
the  American  settlers  were  a  godless,  atheisti 
cal,  quarrelsome  set  of  ingrates.  For  eaten 
bread  is  soon  forgotten,  and  Mexicans  disliked 
to  remember  that  their  own  independence  had 
been  won  by  the  aid  of  the  very  men  they 
were  now  trying  to  force  into  subjection. 

The  two  parties  were  already  in  array  in 
every  house  in  the  city.  The  Sefiora  at  variance 
with  her  daughters,  their  Irish  cook  quarrelling 
with  their  Mexican  servants,  only  represented 
a  state  of  things  nearly  universal.  And  after 
the  failure  of  the  Mexicans  at  Gonzales  to  dis 
arm  the  Americans,  the  animosity  constantly 
increased. 

In  every  church,  the  priests — more  bitter, 
fierce  and  revengeful  than  either  the  civil  or 
military  power — urged  on  the  people  an  exter 
minating  war.  A  black  flag  waved  from  the  Mis 
sions,  and  fired  every  heart  with  an  unrelenting 
vengeance  and  hatred.  To  slay  a  heretic  was 
a  free  pass  through  the  dolorous  pains  of  pur- 


142  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

gatory.  For  the  priesthood  foresaw  that  the 
triumph  of  the  American  element  meant  the 
triumph  of  freedom  of  conscience,  and  the 
abolition  of  their  own  despotism.  To  them  the 
struggle  was  one  involving  all  the  privileges  of 
their  order ;  and  they  urged  on  the  fight  with 
passionate  denunciations  of  the  foe,  and  with 
magnificent  promises  of  spiritual  favors  and 
blessings.  In  the  fortress,  the  plaza,  the  houses, 
the  churches,  the  streets,  their  fiery  words  kept 
society  in  a  ferment. 

But  through  all  this  turmoil  the  small  duties 
of  life  went  on.  Soldiers  were  parading  the 
streets,  and  keeping  watch  on  the  flat  roofs  of 
the  houses;  men  were  solemly  swearing  alle 
giance  to  Santa  Anna,  or  flying  by  night  to  the 
camp  of  the  Americans ;  life  and  death  were 
held  at  a  pin's  fee ;  but  eating  and  dressing, 
dancing  and  flirting,  were  pursued  with  an 
eagerness  typical  of  pleasure  caught  in  the 
passing. 

And  every  hour  these  elements  gathered 
intensity.  The  always  restless  populace  of 
San  Antonio  was  at  a  feverish  point  of  impa 
tience.  They  wanted  the  war  at  their  own 
doors.  They  wanted  the  quarrel  fought  out 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  143 

on  their  own  streets.  Business  took  a  second 
ary  place.  Men  fingered  weapons  and  dreamed 
of  blood,  until  the  temper  of  the  town  was  as 
boisterous  and  vehement  as  the  temper  of  the 
amphitheatre  when  impatiently  waiting  for 
the  bulls  and  the  matadores. 

Nor  was  it  possible  for  Antonia  to  lock  the 
door  upon  this  pervading  spirit.  After  Doctor 
Worth's  flight,  it  became  necessary  for  her  to 
assume  control  over  the  household.  She  had 
promised  him  to  do  so,  and  she  was  resolved, 
in  spite  of  all  opposition,  to  follow  out  his 
instructions.  But  it  was  by  no  means  an  easy 
task. 

Fray  Ignatius  had  both  the  Sefiora  and 
Rachela  completely  under  his  subjection. 
Molly,  the  Irish  cook,  was  already  dissatisfied. 
The  doctor  had  saved  her  life  and  given  her  a 
good  home  and  generous  wages,  and  while  the 
doctor  was  happy  and  prosperous  Molly  was 
accordingly  grateful.  But  a  few  words  from 
the  priest  set  affairs  in  a  far  pleasanter  light  to 
her.  She  was  a  true  Catholic ;  the  saints  sent 
the  heretic  doctor  to  help.  It  was  therefore 
the  saints  to  whom  gratitude  was  due.  Had 
not  earned  her  good  wage  ?  And  would  not 


144  REMEmaAR   THE  ALAMO. 

Don  Angel  Sandoval  give  her  a  still  larger 
sum?  Or  even  the  Brothers  at  the  Mission  of 
San  Jose"  ?  Molly  listened  to  these  words  with 
a  complacent  pleasure.  She  reflected  that  it 
would  be  much  more  agreeable  to  her  to  be 
where  she  could  entirely  forget  that  she  had 
ever  been  hungry  and  friendless,  and  lying  at 
death's  door. 

Antonia  knew  also  that  Rachela  was  at  heart 
unfaithful,  and  soon  the  conviction  was  forced 
on  her  that  servants  are  never  faithful  beyond 
the  line  of  their  own  interest — that  it  is,  indeed, 
against  certain  primary  laws  of  nature  to  expect 
it.  Certainly,  it  was  impossible  to  doubt  that 
there  was  in  all  their  dependents  a  kind  of  satis 
faction  in  their  misfortunes. 

The  doctor  had  done  them  favors — how  un 
pleasant  was  their  memory !  The  Sefiora  had 
offended  them  by  the  splendor  of  her  dress, 
and  her  complacent  air  of  happiness.  Antonia's 
American  ways  and  her  habit  of  sitting  for 
hours  with  a  book  in  her  hand  were  a  great 
irritation. 

"  She  wishes  to  be  thought  wiser  than  other 
women — as  wise  as  even  a  holy  priest — she!  that 
never  goes  to  mass,  and  is  nearly  a  heretic," 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  145 

said  the  house  steward  ;  and  as  for  the  Seftorita 
Isabel,  a  little  trouble  will  be  good  for  her ! 
Holy  Mary  !  the  way  she  has  been  pampered 
and  petted  !  It  is  an  absurdity.  '  Little  dear/ 
and  '  angel/  are  the  hardest  words  she  hears. 
Si!  if  God  did  not  mercifully  abate  a  little  the 
rich  they  would  grow  to  be  *  almightys.'  ' 

This  was  the  tone  of  the  conversation  of  the 
servants  of  the  household.  It  was  not  an  un 
natural  tone,  but  it  was  a  very  unhappy  one. 
People  cannot  escape  from  the  mood  of  mind 
they  habitually  indulge,  and  from  the  animus 
of  the  words  they  habitually  use  ;  and  Antonia 
felt  and  understood  the  antagonistic  atmos 
phere.  For  the  things  which  we  know  best  of 
all  are  precisely  the  things  which  no  one  has 
ever  told  us. 

The  Sefiora,  in  a  plain  black  serge  gown, 
and  black  rebozo  over  her  head,  spent  her  time 
in  prayers  and  penances.  The  care  of  her 
household  had  always  been  delegated  to  her 
steward,  and  to  Rachela ;  while  the  duties 
that  more  especially  belonged  to  her,  had  been 
fulfilled  by  her  husband  and  by  Antonia.  In 
many  respects  she  was  but  a  grown-up  baby. 
And  so,  in  this  great  extremity,  the  only  duty 


I46  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

which  pressed  upon  her  was  the  idea  of  sup« 
plicating  the  saints  to  take  charge  of  her  un 
happy  affairs. 

And  Fray  Ignatius  was  daily  more  hard  with 
her.  Antonia  even  suspected  from  his  grow 
ing  intolerance  and  bitterness,  that  the  Ameri 
cans  were  gaining  unexpected  advantages. 
But  she  knew  nothing  of  what  was  happening. 
She  could  hear  from  afar  off  the  marching  and 
movements  of  soldiers  ;  the  blare  of  military 
music ;  the  faint  echoes  of  hurrahing  multi 
tudes  ;  but  there  was  no  one  to  give  her  any 
certain  information.  Still,  she  guessed  some 
thing  from  the  anger  of  the  priest  and  the 
reticence  of  the  Mexican  servants.  If  good 
fortune  had  been  with  Santa  Anna,  she  was 
sure  she  would  have  heard  of  "  The  glorious ! 
The  invincible !  The  magnificent  Presidente 
de  la  Republica  Mexicana !  The  Napoleon  of 
the  West ! " 

It  was  not  permitted  her  to  go  into  the  city. 
A  proposal  to  do  so  had  been  met  with  a 
storm  of  angry  amazement.  And  steam  and 
electricity  had  not  then  annihilated  distance 
and  abolished  suspense.  She  could  but  won 
der  and  hope,  and  try  to  read  the  truth  from  a 


A   MEETING   AT  MIDNIGHT.  147 

covert  inspection  of  the  face  and  words  of 
Fray  Ignatius. 

Between  this  monk  and  herself  the  breach 
was  hourly  widening.  With  angry  pain  she 
saw  her  mother  tortured  between  the  fact  that 
she  loved  her  husband,  and  the  horrible  doubt 
that  to  love  him  was  a  mortal  sin.  She  under 
stood  the  underlying  motive  which  prompted 
the  priest  to  urge  upon  the  Seftora  the  re 
moval  of  herself  and  her  daughters  to  the  con 
vent.  His  offer  to  take  charge  of  the  Worth 
residencia  and  estate  was  in  her  conviction  a 
proposal  to  rob  them  of  all  rights  in  it.  She 
felt  certain  that  whatever  the  Church  once 
grasped  in  its  iron  hand,  it  would  ever  retain. 
And  both  to  Isabel  and  herself  the  thought 
of  a  convent  was  now  horrible.  "  They  will 
force  me  to  be  a  nun,"  said  Isabel ;  "  and  then, 
what  will  Luis  do  ?  And  they  will  never  tell 
me  anything  about  my  father  and  my  brothers. 
I  should  never  hear  of  them.  I  should  never 
see  them  any  more  ;  unless  the  good  God  was 
so  kind  as  to  let  me  meet  them  in  his  heaven." 

And  Antonia  had  still  darker  and  more  fear, 
ful  thoughts.  She  had  not  forgotten  the 
stories  whispered  to  her  childhood,  of  dreadful 


148  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

fates  reserved  for  contumacious  and  disobe. 
dient  women.  Whenever  Fray  Ignatius  looked 
at  her  she  felt  as  if  she  were  within  the  shadow 
of  the  Inquisition. 

Never  had  days  passed  so  wearily  and  anx« 
iously.  Never  had  nights  been  so  terrible. 
The  sisters  did  not  dare  to  talk  much  together; 
they  doubted  Rachela  ;  they  were  sure  their 
words  were  listened  to  and  repeated.  They 
were  not  permitted  to  be  alone  with  the 
Seftora.  Fray  Ignatius  had  particularly  warned 
Rachela  to  prevent  this.  He  was  gradually 
bringing  the  unhappy  woman  into  what  he 
called  "  a  heavenly  mind  " — the  influence  of 
her  daughters,  he  was  sure,  would  be  that  of 
worldly  affections  and  sinful  liberty.  And 
Rachela  obeyed  the  confessor  so  faithfully, 
that  the  Seftora  was  almost  in  a  state  of  solitary 
confinement.  Every  day  her  will  was  growing 
weaker,  her  pathetic  obedience  more  child 
like  and  absolute. 

But  at  midnight,  when  every  one  was  asleep, 
Antonia  stepped  softly  into  her  sister's  room 
and  talked  to  her.  They  sat  in  Isabel's  bed 
clasping  each  other's  hand  in  the  dark,  and 
speaking  in  whispers.  Then  Antonia  warned 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  149 

and  strengthened  Isabel.  She  told  her  all  her 
fears.  She  persuaded  her  to  control  her  wil- 
fulness,  to  be  obedient,  and  to  assume  the 
childlike  thoughtlessness  which  best  satisfied 
Fray  Ignatius.  "  He  told  you  to-day  to  be 
happy,  that  he  would  think  for  you.  My  dar 
ling,  let  him  believe  that  is  the  thing  you 
want,"  said  Antonia.  "  I  assure  you  we  shall 
be  the  safer  for  it." 

"  He  said  to  me  yesterday,  when  I  asked 
him  about  the  war,  '  Do  not  inquire,  child,  into 
things  you  do  not  understand.  That  is  to  be 
irreligious,'  and  then  he  made  the  cross  on 
his  breast,  as  if  I  had  put  a  bad  thought  into  his 
heart.  We  are  afraid  all  day,  and  we  sit 
whispering  all  night  about  our  fears ;  that  is 
the  state  we  are  in.  The  Lord  sends  us  noth 
ing  but  misfortunes,  Antonia." 

"  My  darling,  tell  the  Lord  your  sorrow,  then, 
but  do  not  repine  to  Rachela  or  Fray  Ignatius. 
That  is  to  complain  to  the  merciless  of  the 
All-Merciful." 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  wicked,  Antonia  ?  What 
excuse  could  I  offer  to  His  Divine  Majesty,  if 
I  spoke  evil  to  him  of  Rachela  and  Fray 
Ignatius  ?  " 


15°  KEMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Neither  of  them  are  our  friends ;  do  you 
think  so?" 

"  Fray  Ignatius  looks  like  a  goblin  ;  he  gives 
me  a  shiver  when  he  looks  at  me  ;  arid  as  for 
Rachela — I  already  hate  her  !  " 

"  Do  not  trust  her.  You  need  not  hate  her, 
Isabel." 

"Antonia,  I  know  that  I  shall  eternally 
hate  her  ;  for  I  am  sure  that  our  angels  are  at 
variance." 

In  conversations  like  these  the  anxious  girls 
passed  the  long,  and  often  very  cold,  nights. 
The  days  were  still  worse,  for  as  November 
went  slowly  away  the  circumstances  which  sur 
rounded  their  lives  appeared  to  constantly 
gather  a  more  decided  and  a  bitterer  tone. 
December,  that  had  always  been  such  a  month 
of  happiness,  bright  with  Christmas  expecta 
tions  and  Christmas  joys,  came  in  with  a  ter 
ribly  severe,  wet  norther.  The  great  log  fires 
only  warmed  the  atmosphere  immediately 
surrounding  them,  and  Isabel  and  Antonia  sat 
gloomily  within  it  all  day.  It  seemed  to 
Antonia  as  if  her  heart  had  come  to  the  very 
end  of  hope ;  and  that  something  must 
happen. 


A   MEETING  A  T  MIDNIGHT.  151 

The  rain  lashed  the  earth  ;  the  wind  roared 
around  the  house,  and  filled  it  with  unusual 
noises.  The  cold  was  a  torture  that  few  found 
themselves  able  to  endure.  But  it  brought  a 
compensation.  Fray  Ignatius  did  not  leave 
the  Mission  comforts ;  and  Rachela  could  not 
bear  to  go  prowling  about  the  corridors  and 
passages.  She  established  herself  in  the  Se- 
fiora's  room,  and  remained  there.  And  very 
early  in  the  evening  she  said  "  she  had  an  out 
rageous  headache,"  and  went  to  her  room. 

Then  Antonia  and  Isabel  sat  awhile  by  their 
mother's  bed.  They  talked  in  whispers  of  their 
father  and  brothers,  and  when  the  Sefiora  cried, 
they  kissed  her  sobs  into  silence  and  wiped 
her  tears  away.  In  that  hour,  if  Fray  Ignatius 
had  known  it,  they  undid,  in  a  great  measure, 
the  work  to  which  he  had  given  more  than  a 
month  of  patient  and  deeply-reflective  labor. 
For  with  the  girls,  there  was  the  wondrous 
charm  of  love  and  nature  ;  but  with  the  priest, 
only  a  splendid  ideal  of  a  Church  universal  that 
was  to  swallow  up  all  the  claims  of  love  and  all 
the  ties  of  nature. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  when  Antonia  and 
Isabel  returned  to  the  parlor  fire.  Their  hearts 


152  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

were  full  of  sorrow  for  their  mother,  and  of  fears 
for  their  own  future.  For  this  confidence  had 
shown  them  how  firmly  the  refuge  of  the  con 
vent  had  been  planted  in  the  anxious  ideas  of 
the  Seftora.  Fortunately,  the  cold  had  driven 
the  servants  either  to  the  kitchen  fire  or  to 
their  beds,  and  they  could  talk  over  the  sub 
ject  without  fear  of  interference. 

"Are  you  sleepy,  queridita?" — (little  dear). 

"  I  think  I  shall  never  go  to  sleep  again, 
Antonia.  If  I  shut  my  eyes  I  shall  find  myself 
in  the  convent ;  and  I  do  not  want  to  go. there 
even  in  a  dream.  Do  you  know  Mother  Te 
resa?  Well  then,  I  could  tell  you  things. 
And  she  does  not  like  me,  I  am  sure  of  that  ; 
quite  sure." 

"  My  darling,  I  am  going  to  make  us  a  cup 
of  tea.  It  will  do  us  good." 

"  If  indeed  it  were  chocolate  !  " 

"  I  cannot  make  chocolate  now ;  but  you 
shall  have  a  great  deal  of  sugar  in  your  cup, 
and  something  good  to  eat  also.  There,  my 
darling,  put  your  chair  close  to  the  fire,  and  we 
will  sit  here  until  we  are  quite  sleepy." 

With  the  words  she  went  into  the  kitchen. 
Molly  was  nodding  over  her  beads,  in  the  com- 


A  MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  15 3 

fortable  radius  made  by  the  blazing  logs ;  no 
one  else  was  present  but  a  young  peon.  He 
brought  a  small  kettle  to  the  parlor  fire,  and 
lifted  a  table  to  the  hearth,  and  then  replenished 
the  pile  of  logs  for  burning  during  the  night. 
Isabel,  cuddling  in  a  large  chair,  watched 
Antonia,  as  she  went  softly  about  putting 
on  the  table  such  delicacies  as  she  could  find 
at  that  hour.  Tamales  and  cold  duck,  sweet 
cake  and  the  guava  jelly  that  was  Isabel's  favor 
ite  dainty.  There  was  a  little  comfort  in  the 
sight  of  these  things ;  and  also,  in  the  bright 
silver  teapot  standing  so  cheerfully  on  the 
hearth,  and  diffusing  through  the  room  a  warm 
perfume,  at  once  soothing  and  exhilarating. 

"  I  really  think  I  shall  like  that  American  tea 
to-night,  Antonia,  but  you  must  half  fill  my 
cup  with  those  little  blocks  of  sugar — quite 
half  fill  it,  Antonia;  and  have  you  found  cream, 
my  dear  one?  Then  a  great  deal  of  cream." 

Antonia  stood  still  a  moment  and  looked  at 
the  drowsy  little  beauty.  Her  eyes  were 
closed,  and  her  head  nestled  comfortably  in  a 
corner  of  the  padded  chair.  Then  a  hand 
upon  the  door-handle  arrested  her  attention, 
and  Antonia  turned  her  eyes  from  Isabel  and 


154  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

watched  it*  Ortiz,  the  peon,  put  his  head 
within  the  room,  and  then  disappeared ;  but 
oh,  wonder  and  joy !  Don  Luis  entered  swiftly 
after  him ;  and  before  any  one  could  say  a 
word,  he  was  kneeling  by  Isabel  kissing  her 
hand  and  mingling  his  exclamations  of  rapture 
with  hers. 

Antonia  looked  with  amazement  and  delight 
at  this  apparition.  How  had  he  come?  She 
put  her  hand  upon  his  sleeve  ;  it  was  scarcely 
wet.  His  dress  was  splendid  ;  if  he  had  been 
going  to  a  tertullia  of  the  highest  class,  he 
could  not  have  been  more  richly  adorned. 
And  the  storm  was  yet  raging !  It  was  a 
miracle. 

"  Dear  Luis,  sit  down  !  Here  is  a  chair  close 
to  Iza!  Tell  her  your  secrets  a  few  minutes, 
and  I  will  go  for  mi  madre.  O  yes  !  She  will 
come  !  You  shall  see,  Iza  !  And  then,  Luis, 
we  shall  have  some  supper." 

"You  see  that  I  am  in  heaven  already, 
Antonia;  though,  indeed,  I  am  also  hungry 
and  thirsty,  my  sister." 

Antonia  was  not  a  minute  in  reaching  hef 
mother's  room.  The  unhappy  lady  was  half- 
lying  among  the  large  pillows  of  her  gilded 


A  MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  155 

bed,  wide  awake.  Her  black  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  a  crucifix  at  its  foot,  and  she  was  slowly 
murmuring  prayers  upon  her  rosary. 

"Madre!  Madre!  Luis  is  here,  Luis  is 
here!  Come  quick,  mi  madre.  Here  are  your 
stockings  and  slippers,  and  your  gown,  and 
your  mantilla — no,  no,  no,  do  not  call  Rachela. 
Luis  has  news  of  my  father,  and  of  Jack!  Oh 
madre,  he  has  a  letter  from  Jack  to  you! 
Come  dear,  come,  in  a  few  minutes  you  will  be 
ready." 

She  was  urging  and  kissing  the  trembling 
woman,  and  dressing  her  in  despite  of  her  faint 
effort  to  delay — to  call  Rachela — to  bring  Luis 
to  her  room.  In  ten  minutes  she  was  ready. 
She  went  down  softly,  like  a  frightened  child, 
Antonia  cheering  and  encouraging  her  in 
whispers. 

When  she  entered  the  cheerful  parlor  the 
shadow  of  a  smile  flitted  over  her  wan  face. 
Luis  ran  to  meet  her.  He  drew  the  couch 
close  to  the  hearth;  he  helped  Antonia  arrange 
her  comfortably  upon  it.  He  made  her  tea, 
and  kissed  her  hands  when  he  put  it  into 
them.  And  then  Isabel  made  Luis  a  cup,  and 
cut  his  tamales,  and  waited  upon  him  with  such 


156  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

pretty  service,  that  the  happy  lover  thought 
he  was  eating  a  meal  in  Paradise. 

For  a  few  minutes  it  had  been  only  this 
ordinary  gladness  of  reunion ;  but  it  was 
impossible  to  ignore  longer  the  anxiety  in  the 
eyes  that  asked  him  so  many  questions.  He 
took  two  letters  from  his  pockets  and  gave 
them  to  the  Seftora.  They  were  from  her 
husband  and  Jack.  Her  hands  trembled  ;  she 
kissed  them  fervently;  and  as  she  placed  them 
in  her  breast  her  tears  dropped  down  upon 
them. 

Antonia  opened  the  real  conversation  with 
that  never-failing  wedge,  the  weather.  "  You 
came  through  the  storm,  Luis  ?  Yet  you  are 
not  wet,  scarcely?  Now  then,  explain  this 
miracle." 

"  I  went  first  to  Lopez  Navarro's.  Do  you 
not  know  this  festa  dress?  It  is  the  one 
Lopez  bought  for  the  feast  of  St.  James.  He 
lent  it  to  me,  for  I  assure  you  that  my  own 
clothing  was  like  that  of  a  beggar  man.  It 
was  impossible  that  I  could  see  my  angel  on 
earth  in  it." 

"  But  in  such  weather?  You  can  not  have 
come  far  to-day  ?  " 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  157 

•'Settorita,  there  are  things  which  are  impos 
sible,  quite  impossible  !  That  is  one  of  them. 
Early  this  morning  the  north  wind  advanced 
upon  us,  sword  in  hand.  It  will  last  fifty 
hours,  and  we  shall  know  something  more 
about  it  before  they  are  over.  Very  well,  but 
it  was  also  absolutely  necessary  that  some  one 
should  reach  San  Antonio  to-night ;  and  I  was 
so  happy  as  to  persuade  General  Burleson  to 
send  me.  The  Holy  Lady  has  given  me  my 
reward." 

"  Have  you  seen  the  Seftor  Doctor  lately, 
Luis,"  asked  the  Sefiora. 

"  I  left  him  at  nightfall." 

"  At  nightfall  !     But  that  is  impossible  !  " 

"  It  is  true.  The  army  of  the  Americans 
is  but  a  few  miles  from  San  Antonio." 

"  Grace  of  God  !     Luis  !  " 

"As  you  say,  Sefiora.  It  is  the  grace  of 
God.  Did  you  not  know?" 

"  We  know  nothing  but  what  Fray  Igna 
tius  tells  us — that  the  Americans  have  been 
everywhere  pulling  down  churches,  and  grant 
ing  martyrdom  to  the  priests,  and  that  every 
where  miraculous  retributions  have  pursued 
them." 


IS8  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

"  Was  Gonzales  a  retribution  ?  The  Seftor 
Doctor  came  to  us  while  we  were  there.  God 
be  blessed ;  but  he  startled  us  like  the  rattle  of 
rifle-shots  in  the  midnight !  '  Why  were  you 
not  at  Goliad  ?  '  he  cried.  '  There  were  three 
hundred  stand  of  arms  there,  and  cannon^  and 
plenty  of  provisions.  Why  were  they  not 
yours?'  You  would  have  thought,  Seftora,  he 
had  been  a  soldier  all  his  life.  The  men 
canght  fire  when  he  came  near  them,  and  we 
went  to  Goliad  like  eagles  flying  for  their 
prey.  We  took  the  town,  and  the  garrison, 
and  all  the  arms  and  military  stores.  I  will 
tell  you  something  that  came  to  pass  there. 
At  midnight,  as  I  and  Jack  stood  with  the 
Sefior  Doctor  by  the  camp-fire,  a  stranger  rode 
up  to  us.  It  was  Colonel  Milam.  He  was  fly 
ing  from  a  Mexican  prison  and  had  not  heard 
of  the  revolt  of  the  Americans.  He  made  the 
camp  ring  with  his  shout  of  delight.  He  was 
impatient  for  the  morning.  He  was  the  first 
man  that  entered  the  garrison.  Bravissimo  l 
What  a  soldier  is  he!" 

"  I  remember !  I  remember  !  "  cried  the 
Senora.  "  Mi  Roberto  brought  him  here  ones, 
So  splendid  a  man  I  never  saw  before.  So  tall, 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  159 

so  handsome,  so  gallant,  so  like  a  hero.  He  is 
an  American  from — well,  then,  I  have  forgotten 
the  place." 

"  From  Kentucky.  He  fought  with  the 
Mexicans  when  they  were  fighting  for  their 
liberty ;  but  when  they  wanted  a  king  and  a 
dictator  he  resigned  his  commission  and  was 
thrown  into  prison.  He  has  a  long  bill  against 
Santa  Anna." 

"  We  must  not  forget,  Luis,"  said  the  Sefiora 
with  a  little  flash  of  her  old  temper,  "that 
Santa  Anna  represents  to  good  Catholics  the 
triumph  of  holy  Church." 

Luis  devoutly  crossed  himself.  "  I  am 
her  dutiful  son,  I  assure  you,  Sefiora — always." 

A  warning  glance  from  Antonia  changed  the 
conversation.  There  was  plenty  to  tell  which 
touched  them  mainly  on  the  side  of  the  family, 
and  the  Sefiora  listened,  with  pride  which  she 
could  not  conceal,  to  the  exploits  of  her  hus^ 
band  and  sons,  though  she  did  not  permit  her 
self  to  confess  the  feeling.  And  her  heart 
softened  to  her  children.  Without  acknowl 
edging  the  tie  between  Isabel  and  Luis,  she 
permitted  or  was  oblivious  to  the  favors  it 
allowed. 


«6o  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Certainly  many  little  formalities  could  be  dis« 
pensed  with,  in  a  meeting  so  unexpected  and 
so  eventful.  When  the  pleasant  impromptu 
meal  was  over,  even  the  Senora  had  eaten  and 
drunk  with  enjoyment.  Then  Luis  set  the 
table  behind  them,  and  they  drew  closer  to  the 
fire,  Luis  holding  Isabel's  hand,  and  Antonia 
her  mother's.  The  Senora  took  a  cigarette 
from  Luis,  and  Isabel  sometimes  put  that  of 
Luis  between  her  rosy  lips.  At  the  dark,  cold 
midnight  they  found  an  hour  or  two  of  sweet 
est  consolation.  It  was  indeed  hard  to  weary 
these  three  heart-starved  women  ;  they  asked 
question  after  question,  and  when  any  brought 
out  the  comical  side  of  camp  life  they  forget 
their  pleasure  was  almost  a  clandestine  one, 
and  laughed  outright. 

In  the  very  midst  of  such  a  laugh,  Rachela 
entered  the  room.  She  stood  in  speechless 
amazement,  gazing  with  a  dark,  malicious  face 
upon  the  happy  group.  "  Senorita  Isabel !  " 
she  screamed  ;  "  but  this  is  abominable  !  At 
the  midnight  also !  Who  could  have  believed 
in  such  wickedness  ?  Grace  of  Mary,  it  is 
inconceivable  !  " 

She  laid  her  hand  roughly  on  Isabel's  shoul- 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  161 

der,  and  Luis  removed  it  with  as  little  courtesy. 
"  You  were  not  called,"  he  said,  with  the 
haughty  insolence  of  a  Mexican  noble  to  a 
servant — "  Depart." 

"  My  Settora  !  Listen  !  You  yourself  also — 
you  will  die.  You  that  are  really  weak — so 
broken-hearted — " 

Then  a  miracle  occurred.  The  Seftora 
threw  off  the  nightmare  of  selfish  sorrow  and 
spiritual  sentimentality  which  had  held  her  in 
bondage.  She  took  the  cigarito  from  her  lips 
with  a  scornful  air,  and  repeated  the  words  of 
Luis  : 

11  You  were  not  called.     Depart." 

"The  Sefiorita  Isabel?" 

"  Is  in  my  care.  Her  mother's  care!  do  you 
understand  ?" 

"  My  Seftora,  Fray  Ignatius — " 

"  Saints  in  heaven !  But  this  is  intolera 
ble !  Go." 

Then  Rachela  closed  the  door  with  a  clang 
which  echoed  through  the  house.  And  say  as 
we  will,  the  malice  of  the  wicked  is  never  quite 
futile.  It  was  impossible  after  this  interrup 
tion  to  recall  the  happy  spirit  dismissed  by  it ; 
and  Rachela  had  the  consolation,  as  she  mut- 


1 62  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

tered  beside  the  fire  in  the  Sefiora's  room. 
this  conviction.  So  that  when  she  heard 
the  party  breaking  up  half  an  hour  after 
wards,  she  complimented  herself  upon  her 
influence. 

"  Will  Jack  come  and  see  me  soon,  and  the 
Seftor  Doctor?"  questioned  the  Seftora,  anx 
iously,  as  she  held  the  hand  of  Luis  in  parting. 

"  Jack  is  on  a  secret  message  to  General 
Houston.  His  return  advices  will  find  us,  I 
trust,  in  San  Antonio.  But  until  we  have 
taken  the  city,  no  American  can  safely  enter 
it.  For  this  reason,  when  it  was  necessary  to 
give  Lopez  Navarro  certain  instructions,  I 
volunteered  to  bring  them.  By  the  Virgin  of 
Guadalupe  !  I  have  had  my  reward,"  he  said, 
lifting  the  Senora's  hand  and  kissing  it. 

"  But,  then,  even  you  are  in  danger." 

"  Si !  If  I  am  discovered  ;  but,  blessed  be 
the  hand  of  God  !  Luis  Alveda  knows  where 
he  is  going,  and  how  to  get  there." 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  the  Senora  in  a  hushed 
voice,  "  that  there  are  to  be  no  prisoners. 
That  is  Santa  Anna's  order." 

"  I  heard  it  twenty  days  ago,  and  am  still 
suffocating  over  it." 


A   MEETING  AT  MIDNIGHT.  163 

"Ah,  Luis,  you  do  not  know  the  man  yet  \  I 
heard  Fray  Ignatius  say  that." 

"  We  know  him  well ;  and  also  what  he  is 
capable  of ";  and  Luis  plucked  his  mustache 
fiercely,  as  he  bowed  a  silent  farewell  to  the 
ladies. 

"  Holy  Maria !  How  brave  he  is !  "  said 
Isabel,  with  a  flash  of  pride  that  conquered  her 
desire  to  weep.  "  How  brave  he  is  !  Certainly, 
if  he  meets  Santa  Anna,  he  will  kill  him." 

They  went  very  quietly  up-stairs.  The  Sefiora 
tvas  anticipating  the  interview  she  expected 
with  Rachela,  and,  perhaps  wisely,  she  isolated 
herself  in  an  atmosphere  of  sullen  and  haughty 
silence.  She  would  accept  nothing  from  her, 
not  even  sympathy  or  flattery  ;  and,  in  a  curt 
dismission,  managed  to  make  her  feel  the  im 
measurable  distance  between  a  high-born  lady 
of  the  house  of  Flores,  and  a  poor  manola 
that  she  had  taken  from  the  streets  of  Madrid. 
Rachela  knew  the  Sefiora  was  thinking  of  this 
circumstance  ;  the  thought  was  in  her  voice, 
and  it  cowed  and  snubbed  the  woman,  her 
Mature  being  essentially  as  low  as  her  birth. 

As  for  the  Sefiora,  the  experience  did  her  a 
Hrorld  of  good.  She  waited  upon  herself  as  a 
princess  mieht  condescend  to  minister  to  her 


104  KEMEMBKK    THE    At  AMU. 

own  wants — loftily,  with  a  smile  at  her  own 
complaisance.  The  very  knowledge  that  her 
husband  was  near  at  hand  inspired  her  with 
courage.  She  went  to  sleep  assuring  herself 
"  that  not  even  Fray  Ignatius  should  again 
speak  evil  of  her  beloved,  who  never  thought 
of  her  except  with  a  loyal  affection."  For  in 
married  life,  the  wife  can  sin  against  love  as 
well  as  fidelity ;  and  she  thought  with  a  sob  of 
the  cowardice  which  had  permitted  Fray 
Ignatius  to  call  her  dear  one  "rebel  and 
heretic." 

11  Santa  Dios ! "  she  said  in  a  passionate 
whisper ;  "  it  is  not  a  mortal  sin  to  think  differ 
ently  from  Santa  Anna " — and  then  more 
tenderly — "  those  who  love  each  other  are  of 
the  same  faith." 

And  if  Fray  Ignatius  had  seen  at  that 
moment  the  savage  whiteness  of  her  small 
teeth  behind  the  petulant  pout  of  her  parted 
lips,  he  might  have  understood  that  this 
woman  of  small  intelligence  had  also  the  un 
reasoning  partisanship  and  the  implacable 
sense  of  anger  which  generally  accompanies 
small  intelligence,  and  which  indicates  a  nature 
governed  by  feeling,  and  utterly  irresponsive 
to  reasoning  which  feeling  does  not  endorse. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOTHER  AND   PRIEST. 

"witness. 

When  the  dark-stoled  priestly  crew, 
Came  swift  trooping  where  the  trumpet 
Of  foul  Santa  Anna  blew." 

****** 
"  Rouse  thee,  Wrath,  and  be  a  giant ; 
People's  Will,  that  hath  been  pliant, 

Long,  too  long ; 

Up,  and  snap  the  rusty  chaining, 
Brittle  bond  for  thy  restraining, 
Know  the  hour,  the  weak  are  reigning 

Thou  art  strong. 

****** 
"  Rise  and  right  the  wrongs  of  ages ; 
Balance  Time's  unequal  pages 

With  the  sword." 

IT  was  nearly  two  o'clock  when  Don  Luis 
mounted  his  horse  and  left  the  Worth 
residencia.  The  storm  still  raged,  the  night 
was  dark,  the  cold  intense,  but  the  home  of 
Lopez  Navarro  was  scarce  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away ;  and  he  found  him  waiting  his  return. 

"You  have  still  an  hour,  Luis.     Come    in 
and  sit  with  me." 


\66  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  As  you  say ;  and  I  wish  to  show  you  that 
I  am  capable  of  a  great  thing.  You  do  not 
believe  me?  Well,  then  give  me  again  my  own 
clothes.  I  will  resign  these." 

"  You  are  most  welcome  to  them,  Luis." 

"  But  no  ;  I  am  in  earnest.  The  fight  is  at 
hand — they  are  too  fine." 

"  Yes,  but  I  will  tell  you — I  can  say  anything 
to  you — there  is  to  be  a  grand  day  for  free 
dom  ;  well,  then,  for  a  festa  one  puts  on  the 
best  that  is  to  be  got.  I  will  even  lend  you 
my  Cross  of  Saint  James,  if  you  wish.  A 
young  hero  should  be  dressed  like  a  hero. 
Honor  my  poor  clothes  so  far  as  to  wear  them 
in  the  fight." 

"Thank  you,  Lopez.  I  will  not  disgrace 
them  ";  and  he  bent  forward  and  looked  into 
his  friend's  eyes.  His  glance  prolonged  his 
words — went  further  than  speech — went  where 
speech  could  not  reach. 

"  Listen  to  me,  Luis.  As  a  matter  of  pre. 
cision,  where  now  are  the  Americans  ?  " 

"At  the  mission  of  Espada." 

"La  Espada? — the  sword — the  name  is 
ominous." 

"  Of  success,  Lopez." 


MOTHER  AND   PRIEST.  167 

"Is  Houston,  then,  with  you?" 

"  Until  a  few  days  ago.  He  and  General 
Austin  have  gone  to  San  Felipe." 

"For  what?  Is  not  San  Antonio  the  most 
important  point?" 

"  It  was  decided  by  the  vote  of  the  army  to 
send  them  there  to  frame  a  provisional  gov 
ernment.  There  are  plenty  of  fighters  with  us, 
but  not  one  statesman  but  Houston.  And 
now  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  have  legal 
authority  to  obtain  loans,  maintain  the  army  in 
the  field,  and  many  other  such  things  vital  to 
our  cause.  Austin  is  to  go  to  the  United 
States.  He  will  bring  back  men  and  money. 
Houston  must  draw  up  our  declaration  and 
manifestoes  ;  direct  the  civil  government ;  for. 
ward  troops ;  and,  in  fact,  set  a  new  government 
in  motion." 

"  He  is  the  loadstone  in  the  bosom !  *  I 
wonder  that  the  Americans  permitted  that  he 
should  leave  them." 

"  He,  and  he  only,  was  the  man  to  go.  Ere 
he  left,  he  said  some  strange  words.  I  shall 
not,  as  a  Mexican,  forget  them.  In  the  midst 

*  The  loadstone  in  the  bosom  is  a  charm  against  evil; 
the  bringer  of  good  fortune. 


1 68  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

of  the  men  he  stood  like  a  god,  with  his  great 
stature,  and  his  bright,  strong  face.  One  can 
not  think  of  him  as  of  a  common  mortal.  In 
deed,  I  will  confess  that  I  could  only  compare 
him  with  the  Efreet  in  the  Arabian  tale, 
'  whose  nostrils  were  like  trumpets,  his  eyes 
like  lamps,  and  who  had  dishevelled,  dust- 
colored  hair 

"  Butj  to  proceed ;  what  were  the  strange 
words?" 

"Thus  he  spoke,  and  his  voice  rang  out  like 
a  clarion : 

"  '  You  will  fight  as  men  fight  for  their  homes, 
and  their  wives,  and  their  children,  but  also — 
remember  this — the  idea  of  Texas  is  in  the 
American  heart !  Two  generations  they  have 
carried  it  there !  It  is  your  destiny  to  make 
the  idea  a  fact !  As  far  back  as  eighteen  nine 
teen,  Adams  wanted  Texas.  When  Adams 
became  president,  he  told  Poinsett  to  offer 
Mexico  a  million  of  dollars  for  Texas.  Clay 
would  have  voted  three  millions.  Van  Buren, 
in  eighteen  twenty-nine,  told  Poinsett  to  offer 
five  millions  for  Texas.  I  went  to  Washing 
ton  that  year,  and  proposed  to  revolutionize 
Texas.  I  declare  to  you  that  the  highest 


MOTHER  AND  PRIEST.  169 

men  in  the  land  were  of  my  mind.  Only 
last  July  President  Jackson  offered  an  addi 
tional  half  million  dollars  for  the  Rio  Grande 
boundary;  and  Mr.  Secretary  Forsyth  said, 
justly  or  unjustly,  by  hook,  or  by  crook,  Texas 
must  become  part  of  our  country.  We  have 
been  longing  for  it  for  fifty  years  !  Now,  then, 
brothers-in-arms  ! '  he  cried,  '  You  are  here 
for  your  homes  and  your  freedom  ;  but,  more 
than  that,  you  are  here  for  your  country! 
Remember  the  thousands  of  Americans  who 
have  slipped  out  of  history  and  out  of  memory, 
who  have  bought  this  land  with  their  blood ! 
We  have  held  a  grip  on  Texas  for  fifty  years. 
By  the  soul  of  every  American  who  has  per 
ished  here,  I  charge  you,  No  Surrender!' 

"  You  should  have  heard  the  shout  that  an 
swered  the  charge.  Jesu, Maria!  It  made  my 
heart  leap  to  my  bosom.  And  ever  since,  the 
two  words  have  filled  the  air.  You  could  see 
men  catching  them  on  their  lips.  They  are  in 
their  eyes,  and  their  walk.  Their  hands  say 
them.  The  up-toss  of  their  heads  says  them. 
When  they  go  into  battle  they  will  see  Houston 
in  front  of  them,  and  hear  him  call  back  '  No 
surrender  ! '  Mexico  cannot  hold  Texas  against 


17°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

such  a  determined  purpose,  carried  out  by  such 
determined  men." 

Lopez  did  not  answer.  He  was  a  melan 
choly,  well-read  man,  who  had  travelled,  and 
to  whom  the  idea  of  liberty  was  a  passion.  But 
the  feeling  of  race  was  also  strong  in  him,  and 
he  could  not  help  regretting  that  liberty 
must  come  to  Texas  through  an  alien  people — 
"heretics,  too" — he  muttered,  carrying  the 
thought  out  aloud.  It  brought  others  equally 
living  to  him,  and  he  asked,  "  Where,  then,  is 
Doctor  Worth?" 

"  At  Espada.  The  army  wished  him  to  go  to 
San  Felipe  with  Houston,  but  he  declined.  And 
we  want  him  most  of  all,  both  as  a  fighter  and  a 
physician.  His  son  Thomas  went  in  his  place." 

"  I  know  not  Thomas." 

"  Indeed,  very  few  know  him.  He  is  one 
that  seldom  speaks.  But  his  rifle  has  its  word 
always  ready." 

"And  Jack?" 

"  Jack  also  went  to  San  Felipe.  He  is  to 
bring  back  the  first  despatches.  Jack  is  the 
darling  of  the  camp.  Ah,  what  a  happy  soui 
he  has!  One  would  think  that  it  had  just  come 
from  heaven,  or  was  just  going  there." 


MOTHER  AND  PRIEST.  17 1 

"  Did  you  see  Seftorita  Antonia  to-night  ?  " 
"  Si !     She  is  a  blessing  to  the  eyesight.     So 
brave  a  young  girl,  so  sweet,  so  wise ;  she  is  3 
miracle !     If  I  loved  not  Isabel  with  my  whole 
soul,  I  would  kneel  at  Antonia's  feet." 
"  That  is  where  I  also  would  kneel.'* 
"  Hark !  how  the  wind  roars,  and  how  the 
rain  thrashes  the  house  !     But  our  men  have 
the  shelter  of  one  of  the  Panchos.     You  should 
have  heard  the  padre  threaten  them  with  the 
anger  of  heaven  and    hell   and  General  Cos. 
Good-bye,  Lopez.     I  have  stayed  my  last  mo 
ment  now." 

"Your  horse  has  been  well  fed.  Listen,  he 
is  neighing  for  you  ;  to  Doctor  Worth  give  my 
honorable  regards.  Is  Sefior  Parades  with  you  ? 
and  Perez  Mexia  ?  Say  to  them  I  keep  the 
vow  I  made  in  their  behalf.  Farewell,  Luis!" 
and  Luis,  who  had  been  mounting  as  his  friend 
talked,  stooped  from  his  saddle  and  kissed 
him. 

It  was  just  dawn  when  he  reached  camp,  and 
he  found  Doctor  Worth  waiting  his  arrival. 
Fortunately  there  was  nothing  but  good  news 
for  the  doctor.  Luis  had  seen  everything 
through  the  medium  of  his  own  happiness,  and 


I?2  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

he  described  the  midnight  meal  and  the  Se. 
flora's  amiability  with  the  utmost  freedom  from 
anything  unpleasant.  Rachela's  interference 
he  treated  with  scornful  indifference  ;  and  yet 
it  affected  Worth's  mind  unpleasantly.  For  it 
went  straight  to  the  source  of  offence.  "  She 
must  have  had  Fray  Ignatius  behind  her.  And 
my  poor  Maria,  she  will  be  as  dough  for  them 
to  knead  as  they  desire  to  !  " 

And,  in  fact,  as  he  was  thus  thinking,  the 
Seftora  was  lying  awake  in  her  bed,  anticipating 
her  confessor's  next  visit.  She  was  almost  glad 
the  norther  was  still  blowing.  It  would  give 
her  another  day's  respite  ;  and  ".so  many  things 
happen  as  the  clock  goes  round,"  she  reflected. 
Perhaps  even  her  Roberto  might  arrive ;  it 
would  not  be  more  wonderful  than  the  visit  of 
Luis  Alveda. 

But  very  early  in  the  day  she  saw  the  father 
hurrying  up  the  oleander  avenue.  The  wind 
tossed  his  gown,  and  blew  his  hat  backward 
and  sideways,  and  compelled  him  to  make  un 
dignified  haste.  And  such  little  things  affect 
the  mental  poise  and  mood !  The  Senora 
smiled  at  the  funny  figure  he  made ;  and  with 
the  smile  came  a  feeling  of  resistance  to  his 


MOTHER  AND  PRIESJ\  173 

tyranny,  and  a  stubborn  determination  to  de 
fend  her  own  conduct. 

He  came  into  her  room  with  a  doleful  coun 
tenance,  saying,  as  he  crossed  himself,  "God  be 
here !  " 

"And  with  you,  father,"  answered  the 
Sefiora,  cheerfully — a  mood  she  had  assumed 
at  the  last  moment,  by  a  kind  of  instinct. 

"There  is  evil  news  on  every  hand  my 
daughter.  The  heretics  are  swarming  like 
wolves  around  the  Missions.  Several  of  our 
holy  brothers  have  endured  the  last  extremity. 
These  wolves  will  even  enter  the  city,  and  you 
will  be  in  danger.  I  have  come  to  take^you  to 
the  convent.  There,  Holy  Mary  will  be  your 
safety." 

"  But  these  wolves  might  attack  the  convent, 
father!" 

"  Our  Blessed  Lady  is  stronger  than  they. 
She  has  always  kept  her  own." 

"  Blessed  be  the  hand  of  God  and  Mary  !  I 
will  trust  in  them.  Ah,  Antonia!  Listen  to 
Fray  Ignatius !  He  says  we  must  go  to  the 
convent — the  heretics  are  coming.  They  have 
even  slain  some  priests  at  the  Mission." 

"  Fray  Ignatius  has    been  misinformed,  dear 


174  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

mother,  When  a  man  wears  a  gown  and  has 
no  arms  Americans  do  not  molest  him.  That 
is  certain.  As  for  the  convent  it  is  impossible. 
My  father  forbade  it.  If  the  Americans  enter 
the  city,  he  is  with  them.  He  will  protect  us, 
if  we  should  need  it,  which  is  not  likely." 

"  Disobedient  one  !  " 

"  Pardon.  I  wish  only  to  obey  the  com 
mands  of  my  father." 

"  I  absolve  you  from  them." 

"  They  are  between  God  and  my  soul.  There 
is  no  absolution  from  duty." 

''Grace  of  God  !  Hear  you,  Seftora !  Hear 
you  the  rebellious  and  disobedient  one!  She 
has  defied  me  to  my  face !  She  is  near  to 
being  anathema !  She  is  not  your  daughter! 
She  is  bewitched.  Some  evil  spirit  has  posses 
sion  of  her.  Let  no  one  touch  her  or  speak  to 
her ;  it  shall  be  a  mortal  sin." 

Antonia  fell  at  her  mother's  knee.  "  Mi 
madre !  I  am  your  daughter,  your  Antonia, 
that  you  carried  in  your  breast,  and  that  loves 
you  better  than  life.  Permit  me  not  to  be  ac 
cused  of  sin — to  be  called  a  devil.  Mother, 
speak  for  me." 

At  this  moment  Isabel  entered.     Seeing  the 


MOTHER   AND   PRIEST.  175 

distress  of  her  mother  and  sister  she  hastened 
to  them  ;  but  Fray  Ignatius  stepped  between, 
and  extending  his  arms  forbade  her  nearer 
approach. 

"  I  forbid  you  to  speak  to  your  sister.  I  for- 
bid  you  to  touch  her,  to  give  her  food,  or 
water,  or  sympathy,  until  she  has  humbled  her- 
self,  and  obtained  the  forgiveness  of  her  sin." 

Then  mother  love  stood  up  triumphant  over 
superstition.  "  I  and  my  daughter  are  the 
same,"  said  the  Seftora,  and  she  gave  her  hand 
to  Antonia.  "  If  she  has  sinned,  we  will  bear 
the  penance  together  ;  she  and  I  together." 

"  I  command  you  to  stand  apart.  For  the 
good  of  Antonia's  sinful  soul,  I  command  you 
to  withdraw  yourself  from  her." 

"  She  is  my  daughter,  father.  I  will  bear 
the  sin  and  the  punishment  with  her.  The 
Holy  Mother  will  understand  me.  To  her  I 
will  go." 

The  door  of  her  room  was  at  hand ;  she 
stepped  swiftly  to  it,  and  putting  her  daughters 
before  her,  passed  in  and  turned  the  key. 

The  movement  took  the  priest  by  surprise, 
and  yet  he  was  secretly  satisfied  with  it.  He 
had  permitted  himself  to  act  with  an  impru- 


1 76  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

dence  most  unusual.  He  had  allowed  the 
Settora  to  find  out  her  own  moral  strength, 
and  made  a  situation  for  her  in  which  she  had 
acted  not  only  without  his  support,  but  against 
his  authority. 

"  And  yet,"  he  muttered,  "  so  much  depends 
upon  my  persuading  her  into  the  convent ;  how 
ever,  nothing  now  is  to  be  done  to-day,  except  to 
see  Rachela.  Saint  Joseph  !  if  these  American 
heretics  were  only  in  my  power!  What  a  long 
joy  I  would  make  of  them !  I  would  cut  a 
throat — just  one  throat — every  day  of  my  life." 

The  hatred  which  could  contemplate  a  ven 
geance  so  long  drawn  out  was  on  his  dark 
face ;  yet,  it  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  he  sin 
cerely  believed  it  to  be  a  holy  hatred.  The 
foes  of  the  church,  he  regarded  as  the  foes  of 
God  ;  and  his  anger  as  a  just  zeal  for  the  honor 
of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Beside  which,  it  in 
cluded  a  far  more  tangible  cause. 

The  accumulated  treasures  of  the  Missions  ; 
their  gold  and  gems,  their  costly  vestments 
and  holy  vessels,  had  been  removed  to  the 
convent  for  safety.  "  These  infidels  of  Ameri 
cans  give  to  women  the  honor  they  should 
give  to  God  and  Holy  Church,"  he  said  to  his 


MOTHER  AND  PRIEST.  177 

brethren.  "  They  will  not  suffer  the  Sisters  to 
be  molested ;  and  our  wealth  will  be  safe 
wherever  they  are." 

But  this  wealth  was  really  so  immense,  that 
he  believed  it  might  be  well  to  secure  it  still 
further,  and  knowing  the  position  Dr.  Worth 
held  among  his  countrymen,  he  resolved  to 
induce  his  wife  and  daughters  to  seek  refuge 
within  the  convent.  They  were,  in  fact,  to  be 
held  as  hostages,  for  the  protection  of  the 
property  of  the  Church. 

That  he  should  fail  in  his  plan  was  intoler 
able  to  him.  He  had  been  so  confident  of  suc 
cess.  He  imagined  the  smile  on  the  face  of 
Fray  Sarapiam,  and  the  warning  against  self- 
confidence  he  would  receive  from  his  superior; 
and  he  vowed  by  Saint  Joseph  that  he  would 
not  suffer  himself  to  be  so  mortified  by  three 
women. 

Had  he  seen  the  Seftora  after  the  first  ex 
citement  of  her  rebellion  was  over,  he  would 
have  been  satisfied  of  the  validity  of  his  au 
thority,  at  least  as  regarded  her.  She  flung 
herself  at  the  foot  of  her  altar,  weeping  and 
beating  her  breast  in  a  passion  of  self-accusa 
tion  and  contrition.  Certainly,  she  had  stood 


17s  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

by  her  daughter  in  the  presence  of  the  priest  ; 
but  in  her  room  she  withdrew  herself  from  the 
poor  girl  as  if  she  were  a  spiritual  leper. 

Antonia  at  a  distance  watched  the  self-abase 
ment  of  her  mother.  She  could  not  weep,  but 
she  was  white  as  clay,  and  her  heart  was  swol 
len  with  a  sense  of  wrong  and  injustice,  until 
breathing  was  almost  suffocation.  She  looked 
with  a  piteous  entreaty  at  Isabel.  Her  little 
sister  had  taken  a  seat  at  the  extremity  of  the 
room  away  from  her.  She  watched  Antonia 
with  eyes  full  of  terror.  But  there  was  no 
sympathy  in  her  face,  only  an  uncertainty 
which  seemed  to  speak  to  her — to  touch  her — 
and  her  mother  was  broken-hearted  with  shame 
and  grief. 

The  anxiety  was  also  a  dumb  one.  Until 
the  Seftora  rose  from  her  knees,  there  was  not 
a  movement  made,  not  a  word  uttered.  The 
girls  waited  shivering  with  cold,  sick  with  fear, 
until  she  spoke.  Even  then  her  words  were 
cold  as  the  wind  outside : 

"  Go  to  your  room,  Antonia.  You  have  not 
only  sinned ;  you  have  made  me  sin  also. 
Alas!  Alas!  Miserable  mother!  Holy  Maria! 
pray  for  me.n 


MOTHER  AND  PRIEST.  179 

"  Mi  madre,  I  am  innocent  of  wrong.  I  have 
committed  no  sin.  Is  it  a  sin  to  obey  my 
father  ?  Isabel,  darling,  speak  for  me." 

"  But,  then,  what  have  you  done,  Antonia?" 

"  Fray  Ignatius  wants  us  to  go  to  the  con 
vent.  I  refused.  My  father  made  me  promise 
to  do  so.  Is  not  our  first  duty  to  our  father? 
Mother,  is  it  not  ? 

"  No,  no  ;  to  God — and  to  Fray  Ignatius,  as 
the  priest  of  God.  He  says  we  ought  to  go  to 
the  convent.  He  knows  best.  We  have  been 
disobedient  and  wicked." 

"  Isabel,  speak,  my  dear  one.  Tell  mi  madre 
if  you  think  we  should  go." 

There  was  a  moment's  wavering,  and  then 
Isabel  went  to  her  mother  and  caressed  her  as 
only  Isabel  could  caress  her,  and  with  the 
kisses,  she  said  boldly:  "  Mi  madre,  we  will  not 
go  to  the  convent.  Not  any  of  us.  It  is  a 
dreadful  place,  even  for  a  happy  child.  Oh, 
how  cold  and  still  are  the  Sisters  !  They  are 
like  stone  figures  that  move  about." 

"  Hush,  child  !  I  cannot  listen  to  you  !  Go 
away!  I  must  be  alone.  I  must  think.  I 
must  pray.  Only  the  Mother  of  Sorrows  can 
help  me." 


I  So  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

It  was  a  miserable  sequence  to  the  happy 
night,  and  Antonia  was  really  terrified  at  the 
position  in  which  she  found  herself.  If  the 
Americans  should  fall,  nothing  but  flight,  or 
uncompromising  submission  to  Fray  Ignatius, 
remained  for  her.  She  knew  only  too  well 
how  miserable  her  life  could  be  made  ;  what 
moral  torture  could  be  inflicted  ;  what  spiritual 
servitude  exacted.  In  a  moment  of  time  she  had 
comprehended  her  danger,  and  her  heart  sank 
and  sickened  with  a  genuine  physical  terror. 

The  cold  was  still  severe,  and  no  one  an- 
swered  her  call  for  wood.  Isabel  crouched, 
white  and  shivering,  over  the  dying  embers, 
and  it  was  she  who  first  uttered  the  fear 
Antonia  had  refused  to  admit  to  herself — 
"  Suppose  the  servants  are  forbidden  to  wait 
upon  us  ! " 

"  I  will  bring  wood  myself,  dearest."  She 
was  greatly  comforted  by  the  word  "  us."  She 
could  almost  have  wept  for  joy  of  the  sym 
pathy  it  included.  For  thought  is  rapid  in  such 
crucial  moments,  and  she  had  decided  that 
even  flight  with  her  would  be  a  kinder  fate 
for  Isabel,  than  the  cruel  tender  mercies  of  the 
Sisters  and  the  convent. 


MOTHER  AND  PRIEST.  181 

They  could  not  talk  much.  The  thought  of 
their  mother's  anguish,  and  of  the  separation 
put  between  them  and  their  household,  shocked 
and  terrified  them.  Vainly  they  called  for 
fuel.  At  dinner  time  no  table  was  laid,  and 
no  preparations  made  for  the  meal.  Then 
Antonia  went  into  the  kitchen.  She  took 
with  her  food,  and  cooked  it,  She  brought 
wood  into  the  parlor,  and  made  up  the  fire. 
Fortunately,  her  northern  education  had  given 
her  plenty  of  resources  for  such  emergencies. 
Two  or  three  savory  dishes  were  soon  ready,  and 
the  small  table  set  upon  a  warm,  bright  hearth. 

The  Sefiora  had  evidently  not  been  included 
in  the  ban,  for  Rachela  attended  with  ostenta 
tious  care  to  her  comfort ;  but  Isabel  had 
rolled  herself  up  in  a  wadded  silk  coverlet  and 
gone  to  sleep.  Antonia  awakened  her  with  a 
kiss.  "  Come,  queridita,  and  get  your  dinner." 

"  But  is  it  possible  ?  I  thought  Fray  Ignatius 
had  forbidden  it." 

"  He  cannot  forbid  me  to  wait  upon  you, 
my  darling  one.  And  he  cannot  turn  the  flour 
into  dust,  and  the  meat  into  stone.  There  is 
a  good  dinner  ready;  and  you  are  hungry,  no 
doubt." 


I    2  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

"For  three  hours  I  have  been  faint.  Ah! 
you  have  made  me  a  custard  also  !  You  are  a 
very  comforter." 

But  the  girl  was  still  and  sad,  and  Antonia 
was  hard  pressed  to  find  any  real  comfort  for 
her.  For  she  knew  that  their  only  hope  lay  in 
the  immediate  attack  of  the  American  force, 
and  its  success ;  and  she  did  not  think  it  wise 
to  hide  from  her  sister  the  alternatives  that 
lay  before  them  if  the  Americans  failed. 

"  I  am  afraid,  "  said  Isabel ;  "  and  so  un 
happy.  A  very  sad  business  is  life.  I  cannot 
think  how  any  one  can  care  to  live." 

"  Remember  Luis,  and  our  father,  and  Jack, 
and  Thomas,  and  our  dear  mother,  who  this 
morning  stood  between  us  and  Fray  Ignatius. 
Will  you  let  this  priest  turn  the  sky  black 
above  you  ?  " 

"  And  also,  men  will  fight.  What  for  ?  Who 
can  tell?  The  Americans  want  so  much  of 
everything.  Naturally  they  do  not  get  all 
they  want.  What  do  they  do  ?  Fight,  and 
get  killed.  Then  they  go  into  the  next  world, 
and  complain  of  people.  As  for  Luis,  I  do  not 
expect  to  see  him  again." 

Fortunately,     the    norther     moderated     at 


MOl^HER  AND  PRIEST.  183 

sunset.  Life  then  seemed  so  much  more 
possible.  Adverse  elements  intensify  adverse 
fortune,  and  the  physical  suffering  from  the 
cold  had  also  benumbed  Antonia's  spirits,  and 
made  her  less  hopeful  and  less  clear-visioned. 
But  when  she  awoke  at  the  gray  dawn  of  the 
next  day,  she  awoke  with  a  different  spirit. 
She  had  regained  herself.  She  rose  quietly, 
and  looked  out  towards  the  city.  The  black 
flag  from  the  Alamo  and  the  Missions  hung 
above  it.  She  looked  at  the  ominous  standards, 
and  then  the  tears  sprang  to  her  eyes ;  she 
lifted  her  face  and  her  hands  to  heaven,  and  a 
few  words,  swifter  than  light,  sprang  from  her 
soul  into  the  ear  of  the  Eternal  Father  of  Spirits. 

The  answer  came  with  the  petition — came 
with  the  crack  of  rifle-shots ;  precise,  regular, 
unceasing. 

"Oh  God!  I  thank  Thee!  Lord  of  Hosts, 
Thou  art  a  great  multitude  !  Isabel !  Isabel  I 
The  Americans  are  attacking  the  city  !  Our 
father  will  fight  his  way  back  to  his  home ! 
Fray  Ignatius  can  not  come  to-day.  Oh,  I  am 
so  happy!  So  happy!  Listen!  How  the 
Mexicans  are  shouting !  They  are  cheering 
on  the  men  !  What  a  turmoil !  " 


1*4  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Jesu,  Maria,  have  mercy !  "  cried  Isabel, 
clasping  her  crucifix  and  falling  upon  her 
knees. 

"  Oh,  Isabel,  pray  for  our  father,  that  his 
angel  may  overshadow  him  with  strong  wings." 

-And  Luis?" 

"And  Luis,  and  Thomas,  and  Jack,  and 
Dare.  There  are  prayers  for  them  all,  and 
love  enough  to  make  them.  Hark !  there  are 
the  drums,  and  the  trumpets,  and  the  gallop 
of  the  cavalry.  Come,  dearest,  let  us  go  to  our 
mother.  To-day,  no  one  will  remember  Fray 
Ignatius." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  STORMING   OF  THE  ALAMO. 

"  Now,  hearts, 

Be  ribbed  with  iron  for  this  one  attempt  : 
Set  ope'  your  sluices,  send  the  vigorous  blood 
Through  every  active  limb  for  our  relief." 

**  Now  they  begin  the  tragic  play, 
And  with  their  smoky  cannon  banish  day." 

"  Endure  and  conquer.     God  will  soon  dispose 
To  future  good  our  past  and  present  woes: 
Resume  your  courage,  and  dismiss  your  care ; 
An  hour  will  come  with  pleasure  to  relate 
Your  sorrows  past,  as  benefits  of  Fate." 

THE    Senora    was   already    dressed.      She 
turned  with  a  face  full  of  fear  and  anger 
to  her  daughters  as  they  entered  her  room — 

"  These  American  diablos  !  They  are  at 
tacking  the  city.  They  will  take  it — that  is  to 
be  expected — who  can  fight  diablos  ?  And 
what  is  to  become  of  us  ?  Oh,  Antonia !  Why 
did  you  prevent  Fray  Ignatius?  We  might 
now  have  been  safe  in  the  convent "  and 
185 


1 86  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

Rachela  nodded  her  head  in  assent,  with  an 
insufferable  air  of  reproof  and  toleration. 

Antonia  saw  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come 
for  pleading  her  own  cause.  She  left  Isabel 
with  her  mother.  The  Senora's  breakfast  was 
waiting,  and  she  offered  to  share  it  with  her 
youngest  daughter.  Antonia  went  downstairs 
to  prepare  for  herself  some  coffee.  She  was 
surprised  and  pleased  to  find  it  made.  For  a 
certain  thought  had  come  to  Molly  in  the 
night  and  she  had  acted  upon  it — 

"  The  praist  is  a  strange  praist,  and  almost 
as  black  as  a  nagur ;  and  I'd  be  a  poor  body,  I 
think,  to  let  him  be  meddling  wid  my  work. 
Shure,  I  never  heard  of  the  like  of  such  inter 
fering  in  Ireland,  nor  in  the  States  at  all !  " 
Then  turning  to  the  Mexican  cook,  Manuel — 
"  You  may  lave  the  fire  alone  till  I  bees  done 
wid  it." 

"  Fray  Ignatius  will  not  give  you  absolution 
if  you  disobey  him." 

"  He  can  be  kaping  the  same  then.  There 
is  an  Irish  praist  at  San  Patricio,  and  I'll  be 
going  there  for  my  absolution  ;  and  I'll  be  get 
ting  none  any  nearer  that  an  Irish  soul  will  be 
a  pin  the  better  for.  I'll  say  that,  standing  in 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE  ALAMO.         187 

the  church,  to  the  saints  themselves  ;  and  so 
be  aff  wid  you  and  let  the  fire  alone  till  I  bees 
done  wid  it." 

But  it  was  not  Molly's  place  to  serve  the 
food  she  cooked,  and  she  did  not  trouble  her 
self  about  the  serving.  When  she  had  asserted 
her  right  to  control  her  own  work,  and  do  it  or 
neglect  it  as  it  seemed  good  to  herself  alone, 
she  was  satisfied.  Over  Antonia — who  was  at 
least  half  a  Mexican — she  acknowledged  a 
Mexican  priest  to  have  authority ;  and  she  had 
no  intention  of  interfering  between  Fray  Igna 
tius  and  his  lawful  flock.  She  was  smoking  her 
pipe  by  the  fire  when  Antonia  entered  the 
kitchen,  and  she  neither  lifted  her  eyes  nor 
spoke  to  her. 

Against  such  unreasonable  isolation  Anto 
nia  could  not  help  a  feeling  of  anger ;  and  she 
heard  with  satisfaction  the  regular  crack  of  the 
rifles.  Her  thought  was — "  They  will  make 
these  people  find  their  tongues  also,  very  soon." 
She  was  exceedingly  anxious  for  information  ; 
and,  as  she  ate  her  roll  and  drank  her  coffee, 
she  was  considering  how  they  could  gain  it. 
For  even  if  Fray  Ignatius  were  able  to  visit 
them,  his  report  would  be  colored  by  his  prej- 


1 88  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

udices  and  his  desires,  and  could  not  be  relied 
on. 

Her  heart  fluttered  and  sank  ;  she  was  hot 
and  cold,  sanguine  and  fearful.  She  could 
not  endure  the  idea  of  a  suspense  unrelieved 
by  any  reliable  word.  For  the  siege  might  be 
a  long  one.  San  Antonio  was  strongly  walled 
and  defended.  The  Alamo  fortress  stood  in 
its  centre.  It  had  forty-eight  cannon,  and  a 
garrison  of  a  thousand  men.  Before  it  could 
be  reached,  the  city  had  to  be  taken  ;  and  the 
inhabitants  would  in  the  main  fight  desperately 
for  their  homes. 

As  soon  as  she  was  alone  with  her  mother, 
she  pointed  out  these  facts  to  her.  "  Let  me 
write  to  Lopez  Navarro,  mi  madre.  He  is  a 
friend." 

"  Of  the  Americans  !     Si." 

"  Of  freedom.     He  will  send  us  word." 

"  Are  you  forgetful  of  what  is  moral  and 
respectable,  Antonia  ?  That  a  young  lady 
should  write  to  Lopez  Navarro — a  man  that 
is  unmarried — is  such  a  thing  as  never  before 
happened !  He  would  think  the  world  had 
come  to  an  end,  or  worse." 

"  Dear  mother!     In   a  time   of  trouble   like 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE  ALAMO.         189 

fiis,  who  would  think  wrong  of  us?  Surely 
you  might  write." 

"  As  you  say,  Antonia.  Tell  me,  then,  who 
will  take  the  letter." 

"The  peon  Ortiz  will  take  it.  This  morn 
ing  he  brought  in  wood  and  kindled  the  fire, 
and  I  saw  in  his  face  the  kindness  of  his 
heart." 

After  some  further  persuasion,  the  Sefiora 
agreed  to  write ;  and  Ortiz  undertook  the  com 
mission,  with  a  nod  of  understanding.  Then 
there  remained  nothing  to  be  done  but  to 
listen  and  to  watch.  Fortunately,  however, 
Rachela  found  the  centre  of  interest  among 
the  servants  in  the  kitchen  ;  and  the  Sefiora  and 
her  daughter  could  converse  without  espionage. 

Just  after  sunset  a  letter  arrived  from  Nav- 
arro.  Rachela  lingered  in  the  room  to  learn  its 
contents.  But  the  Sefiora,  having  read  them* 
passed  the  letter  to  Antonia  and  Isabel ;  and 
Rachela  saw  with  anger  that  Antonia,  having 
carefully  considered  it,  threw  it  into  the 
fire.  And  yet  the  news  it  brought  was  not 
unfavorable: 

"  SE&ORA  MARIA  FLORES  WORTH  : 

"  I  send   this  on  December  the  fifth,  in    the 


190  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

year  of  our  Blessed  Lord  and  Lady  1835.  It 
is  my  honor  and  pleasure  to  tell  you  that  the 
Americans,  having  performed  miracles  of  valor, 
reached  the  Plaza  this  afternoon.  Here  the 
main  body  of  the  Mexican  troops  received 
them,  and  there  has  been  severe  fighting.  At 
sunset,  the  Mexicans  retreated  within  the 
Alamo.  The  Texans  have  taken  possession  of 
the  Veramendi  House,  and  the  portion  of  the 
city  surrounding  it.  There  has  been  a  great 
slaughter  of  our  poor  countrymen.  I  charge 
myself  whenever  I  pass  the  Plaza,  to  say  a  pater 
noster  forthe  souls  who  fell  there.  Seflora  Ma 
ria  Flores  Worth,  I  kiss  your  hands.  I  kiss  also 
the  hands  of  the  Senorita  Antonia,  and  the 
hands  of  the  Seftorita  Isabel,  and  I  make  haste 
to  sign  myself, 

"Your  servant, 

"  LOPEZ  NAVARRO." 

This  little  confidence  between  mother  and 
daughters  restored  the  tone  of  feeling  between 
them.  They  had  something  to  talk  of,  per 
sonal  and  exclusive.  In  the  fear  and  uncer 
tainty,  they  forgot  priestly  interdiction  and 
clung  to  each  other  with  that  affection  which 
is  the  strength  of  danger  and  the  comforter  of 
sorrow. 

On  the  following  day  the  depression  deep- 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE  ALAMO.         191 

cned.  The  sounds  of  battle  were  closer  at 
*aand.  The  Mexican  servants  had  an  air  of 
insolence  and  triumph.  Antonia  feared  for 
the  evening's  report — if  indeed  Navarro  should 
be  able  to  send  one.  She  feared  more  when 
she  saw  the  messenger  early  in  the  afternoon. 
"  Too  early  is  often  worse  than  too  late."  The 
proverb  shivered  upon  her  trembling  lips  as 
she  took  the  letter  from  him.  The  three 
women  read  it  together,  with  sinking  hearts  : 

"  SENORA  MARIA  FLORES  WORTH  : 

"  This  on  the  sixth  of  December,  in  the  year 
of  our  Blessed  Lord  and  Lady  1835.  The 
brave,  the  illustrious  Colonel  Milam  is  dead. 
I  watched  him  three  hours  in  to-day's  fight.  A 
man  so  calm  was  inconceivable.  He  was  smil 
ing  when  the  ball  struck  him — when  he  fell. 
The  Texans,  after  his  loss,  retired  to  their 
quarters.  This  was  at  the  hour  of  eleven. 
At  the  hour  of  one,  the  Mexicans  made 
another  sortie  from  the  Alamo.  The  Texans 
rushed  to  meet  them  with  an  incredible  ven 
geance.  Their  leader  was  General  Burleson. 
He  showed  himself  to  General  Cos  in  a  sheet  of 
flame.  Such  men  are  not  to  be  fought.  Gen 
eral  Cos  was  compelled  to  retire  to  the  Alamo. 
The  battle  is  over  for  to-day.  On  this  earth 
the  soul  has  but  a  mortal  sword.  The  water  in 


I92  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

the  river  is  red  with  blood.  The  Plaza  is  cov 
ered  with  the  dead  and  the  dying.  I  have  the 
honor  to  tell  you  that  these  '  miserabies  '  are 
being  attended  to  by  the  noble,  the  charitable 
Seftor  Doctor  Worth.  As  I  write,  he  is  kneel 
ing  among  them.  My  soul  adores  his  human 
ity.  I  humbly  kiss  your  hands,  Seftora,  and 
the  hands  of  your  exalted  daughters. 

"  LOPEZ  NAVARRO." 

Until  midnight  this  letter  furnished  the  anx- 
lous,  loving  women  with  an  unceasing  topic  of 
interest.  The  allusion  to  her  husband  made 
the  Seftora  weep.  She  retired  to  her  oratory 
and  poured  out  her  love  and  her  fears  in  holy 
salutations,  in  thanksgivings  and  entreaties. 

The  next  morning  there  was  an  ominous  lull 
in  the  atmosphere.  As  men  run  backward  to 
take  a  longer  leap  forward,  so  both  armies 
were  taking  breath  for  a  fiercer  struggle.  In 
the  Worth  residencia  the  suspense  was  becom 
ing  hourly  harder  to  endure.  The  Seftora  and 
her  daughters  were  hardly  conscious  of  the 
home  life  around  them.  In  that  wonderful 
folk-speech  which  so  often  touches  foundation 
truths,  they  were  not  all  there.  Their  nobler 
part  had  projected  itself  beyond  its  limitations. 
It  was  really  in  the  struggle.  It  mattered 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE  ALAMO.         193 

little  to  them  now  whether  food  was  cooked  or 
not.  They  were  neither  hungry  nor  sleepy. 
Existence  was  prayer  and  expectation. 

Just  before  sunset  Antonia  saw  Don  Lopez 
coming  through  the  garden.  The  Seftora,  ac 
companied  by  her  daughters,  went  to  meet 
him.  His  face  was  perplexed  and  troubled : 

"  General  Cos  has  been  joined  by  Ugarte- 
chea  with  three  hundred  men,"  he  said.  "You 
will  see  now  that  the  fight  will  be  still  more 
determined." 

And  before  daylight  broke  on  the  morning 
of  the  8th,  the  Americans  attacked  the  Alamo. 
The  black  flag  waved  above  them  ;  the  city 
itself  had  the  stillness  of  death;  but  for  hours 
the  dull  roar  and  the  clamorous  tumult  went 
on  without  cessation.  The  Senora  lay  upon 
her  bed  motionless,  with  hands  tightly  locked. 
She  had  exhausted  feeling,  and  was  passive. 
Antonia  and  Isabel  wandered  from  window  to 
window,  hoping  to  see  some  token  which 
would  indicate  the  course  of  events. 

Nothing  was  visible  but  the  ferocious  flag 
flying  out  above  the  desperate  men  fighting 
below  it.  So  black!  So  cruel  and  defiant  it 
looked !  It  seemed  to  darken  and  fill  the 


194  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

whole  atmosphere  around  it.  And  though  the 
poor  women  had  not  dared  to  whisper  to  each 
other  what  it  said  to  them,  they  knew  in  their 
own  hearts  that  it  meant,  if  the  Americans 
failed,  the  instant  and  brutal  massacre  of  every 
prisoner. 

The  husband  and  father  were  under  its  in 
human  shadow.  So  most  probably  were  Da 
rius  Grant  and  Luis  Alveda.  It  was  even  like 
ly  that  Jack  might  have  returned  ere  the 
fight,  and  was  with  the  besiegers.  Every  time 
they  went  to  the  window,  it  filled  their  hearts 
with  horror. 

In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  it  suddenly 
disappeared.  Antonia  watched  it  breathlessly. 
Several  times  before,  it  had  been  dropped  by 
some  American  rifle  ;  but  this  time  it  was  not 
as  speedily  replaced.  In  a  few  minutes  she 
uttered  a  shrill  cry.  It  was  in  a  voice  so 
strained,  so  piercing,  so  unlike  her  own,  that 
the  Sefiora  leaped  from  her  bed.  Antonia 
turned  to  meet  her  mother  with  white,  parted 
lips.  She  was  speechless  with  excess  of  feel 
ing,  but  she  pointed  to  the  Alamo.  The  black 
flag  was  no  longer  there  !  A  white  one  was 
flying  in  its  place^. 


THE   STORMING   OF    THE  ALAMO.         195 

"  //  is  a  surrender  !  "  gasped  Antonia.  "  // 
is  a  surrender  !  "  and,  as  if  in  response  to  her 
words,  a  mighty  shout  and  a  simultaneous  sa 
lute  of  rifles  hailed  the  emblem  of  victory. 

An  hour  afterwards  a  little  Mexican  boy 
came  running  with  all  his  speed.  He  brought 
a  few  lines  from  Don  Lopez.  They  had  evi 
dently  been  written  in  a  great  hurry,  and  on  a 
piece  of  paper  torn  from  his  pocket-book,  but 
oh  !  how  welcome  they  were.  The  very  lack 
of  formality  gave  to  them  a  certain  hurry  of 
good  fortune : 

"  May  you  and  yours  be  God's  care  for  many 
years  to  come,  Senora  !  The  Mexicans  have 
surrendered  the  Alamo,  and  asked  for  quarter. 
These  noble-minded  Americans  have  given  it. 
The  Sefior  Doctor  will  bring  you  good  news. 
I  rejoice  with  you. 

"  LOPEZ  NAVARRO." 

Death  and  captivity  had  been  turned  away 
from  their  home,  and  the  first  impulse  of  these 
pious,  simple-hearted  women  was  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving.  Then  Antonia  remembered 
the  uncomfortable  state  of  the  household, 
and  the  probable  necessities  of  the  men  com- 


196  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

ing  back  from  mortal  strife  and  the  shadow 
of  death. 

She  found  that  the  news  had  already 
changed  the  domestic  atmosphere.  Every 
servant  was  attending  to  his  duty.  Every  one 
professed  a  great  joy  in  the  expected  arrival 
of  the  Sefior.  And  what  a  happy  impetus  the 
hope  gave  to  her  own  hands !  How  delightful 
it  was  to  be  once  more  arranging  the  evening 
meal,  and  brightening  the  rooms  with  fire  and 
light ! 

Soon  after  dark  they  heard  the  swing  of 
the  garden  gate,  the  tramp  of  rapid  footsteps, 
and  the  high-pitched  voices  of  excited  men. 
The  door  was  flung  wide.  The  Seftora  forgot 
that  it  was  cold.  She  went  with  outstretched 
arms  to  meet  her  husband.  Dare  and  Luis 
were  with  him.  They  were  black  with  the 
smoke  of  battle.  Their  clothing  was  torn  and 
bloodstained ;  the  awful  light  of  the  fierce 
struggle  was  still  upon  their  faces.  But  they 
walked  like  heroes,  and  the  glory  of  the  deeds 
they  had  done  crowned  with  its  humanity, 
made  them  appear  to  the  women  that  loved 
them  but  a  little  lower  than  the  angels. 

Doctor  Worth  held    his    wife    close  to   his 


THE   STORMING  OF    THE  ALAMO.         197 

heart  and  kissed  her  tears  of  joy  away,  and 
murmured  upon  her  lips  the  tenderest  words 
a  woman  ever  hears — the  words  a  man  never 
perfectly  learns  till  he  has  loved  his  wife 
through  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  change,  and 
sorrow,  and  anxiety.  And  what  could  Anto- 
nia  give  Dare  but  the  embrace,  the  kiss,  the 
sweet  whispers  of  love  and  pride,  which  were 
the  spontaneous  outcome  of  both  hearts  ? 

There  was  a  moment's  hesitation  on  the  part 
of  Luis  and  Isabel.  The  traditions  of  caste 
and  country,  the  social  bonds  of  centuries, 
held  them.  But  Isabel  snapped  them  asunder. 
She  looked  at  Luis.  His  eyes  were  alight 
with  love  for  her,  his  handsome  face  was  trans 
figured  with  the  nobility  of  the  emotions  that 
possessed  him.  In  spite  of  his  disordered 
dress,  he  was  incomparably  handsome.  When 
he  said,  "  Angel  mio  ! "  and  bent  to  kiss  her 
hand,  she  lifted  her  lovely  face  to  his,  she  put 
her  arms  around  his  neck,  she  cried  softly  on 
his  breast,  whispering  sweet  little  diminutives 
of  affection  and  pride.  Such  hours  as  fol 
lowed  are  very  rare  in  this  life  ;  and  they  are 
nearly  always  bought  with  a  great  price — paid 
for  in  advance  with  sorrow  and  anxiety,  or 


I98  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

earned  by  such  faithful  watching  and  patient 
waiting  as  touches  the  very  citadel  of  life. 

The  men  were  hungry ;  they  had  eaten  noth 
ing  all  day.  How  delicious  was  their  meal ! 
How  happy  and  merry  it  made  the  Senora, 
and  Antonia,  and  Isabel,  to  see  them  empty 
dish  after  dish ;  to  see  their  unaffected  enjoy 
ment  of  the  warm  room,  and  bright  fire,  of 
their  after-dinner  coffee  and  tobacco.  There 
was  only  one  drawback  to  the  joy  of  the  re 
union — the  absence  of  Jack. 

"  His  disappointment  will  be  greater  than 
ours,"  said  Jack's  father.  "  To  be  present  at 
the  freeing  of  his  native  city,  and  to  bring  his 
first  laurels  to  his  mother,  was  the  brightest 
dream  Jack  had.  But  Jack  is  a  fine  rider,  and 
is  not  a  very  fine  marksman  ;  so  it  was  decided 
to  send  him  with  Houston  to  the  Convention. 
We  expected  him  back  before  the  attack  on 
the  city  began.  Indeed,  we  were  waiting  for 
orders  from  the  Convention  to  undertake  it." 

"  Then  you  fought  without  orders,  father  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  Antonia — in  a  way.  Delays  in 
war  are  as  dangerous  as  in  love.  We  were 
surrounded  by  dragoons,  who  scoured  the 
country  in  every  direction  to  prevent  our  for- 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE   ALAMO.         199 

aging.  San  Antonio  had  to  be  taken.  Soon 
done  was  well  done.  On  the  third  of  December 
Colonel  Milam  stepped  in  front  of  the  ranks, 
and  asked  if  two  hundred  of  the  men  would  go 
with  him  and  storm  the  city.  The  whole  elev 
en  hundred  stepped  forward,  and  gave  him  their 
hands  and  their  word.  From  them  two  hun 
dred  of  the  finest  marksmen  were  selected." 

"  I  have  to  say  that  was  a  great  scene,  mi 
Roberto." 

"  The  greater  for  its  calmness,  I  think. 
There  was  no  shouting,  no  hurrahing,  no  obvi 
ous  enthusiasm.  It  was  the  simple  assertion 
of  serious  men  determined  to  carry  out  their 
object." 

"  And  you  stormed  San  Antonio  with  two 
hundred  men,  father?  " 

"  But  every  man  was  a  picked  man.  A  Mex 
ican  could  not  show  his  head  above  the  ram 
parts  and  live.  We  had  no  powder  and  ball 
to  waste ;  and  I  doubt  if  a  single  ball  missed 
its  aim." 

"  A  Mexican  is  like  a  Highland  Scot  in  one 
respect,"  said  D^re ;  "  he  fights  best  with 
steel.  They  are  good  cavalry  soldiers." 

"  There  are  no   finef    cavalrv-   iii  the  world 


200  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

than  the  horsemen  from  Santa  Fe,  Dare.  But 
with  powder  and  ball  'Mexicans  trust  entirely 
to  luck;  and  luck  is  nowhere  against  Ken 
tucky  sharpshooters.  Their  balls  very  seldom 
reached  us,  though  we  were  close  to  the  ram 
parts  ;  and  we  gathered  them  up  by  thou 
sands,  and  sent  them  back  with  our  double- 
Dupont  powder.  Then  they  did  damage 
enough.  In  fact,  we  have  taken  the  Alamo 
with  Mexican  balls." 

"  Under  what  flag  did  you  fight,  Roberto  ?  " 
"  Under  the  Mexican  republican  flag  of 
eighteen  twenty-four ;  but  indeed,  Maria,  I  do 
not  think  we  had  one  in  the  camp.  We  were 
destitute  of  all  the  trappings  of  war — we  had 
no  uniforms,  no  music,  no  flags,  no  positive 
military  discipline.  But  we  had  one  heart  and 
mind,  and  one  object  in  view;  and  this  four 
days'  fight  has  shown  what  men  can  do,  who 
are  moved  by  a  single,  grand  idea." 

The  Senora  lay  upon  a  sofa ;  the  doctor  sat 
by  her  side.  Gradually  their  conversation  be 
came  more  low  and  confidential.  They  talked 
of  their  sons,  and  their  probable  whereabouts  ; 
of  all  that  the  Senora  and  her  daughters  had 
suffered  from  the  disaffection  of  the  servants  ; 


THE   STORMING   OF   THE  ALAMO.         201 

and  the  attitude  taken  by  Fray  Ignatius.  And 
the  doctor  noticed,  without  much  surprise, 
that  his  wife's  political  sympathies  were  still 
in  a  state  of  transition  and  uncertainty.  She 
could  not  avoid  prophesying  the  speedy  and 
frightful  vengeance  of  Mexico.  She  treated 
the  success  at  San  Antonio  as  one  of  the  acci 
dents  of  war.  She  looked  forward  to  an  early 
renewal  of  hostilities. 

"  My  countrymen  are  known  to  me,  Rob 
erto,"  she  said,  with  a  touch  that  was  almost 
a  hope  of  vengeance.  "  They  have  an  insur 
mountable  honor;  they  will  revenge  this  insult 
to  it  in  some  terrible  way.  If  the  gracious 
Maria  holds  not  the  hands  of  Santa  Anna,  he 
will  utterly  destroy  the  Americans  !  He  will 
be  like  a  tiger  that  has  become  mad." 

"  I  am  not  so  much  afraid  of  Santa  Anna  as 
of  Fray  Ignatius.  Promise  me,  my  dear  Maria, 
that  you  will  not  suffer  yourself  or  your  chil 
dren  to  be  decoyed  by  him  into  a  convent.  I 
should  never  see  you  again." 

The  discussion  on  this  subject  was  long  and 
eager.  Antonia,  talking  with  Dare  a  little 
apart,  could  not  help  hearing  it  and  feeling 
great  interest  in  her  father's  entreaties,  even 


202  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

though  she  was  discussing  with  Dare  the  plans 
for  their  future.  For  Dare  had  much  to  tell 
his  betrothed.  During  the  siege,  the  doctor 
had  discovered  that  his  intended  son-in-law 
was  a  fine  surgeon.  Dare  had,  with  great 
delicacy,  been  quite  reticent  on  this  subject, 
until  circumstances  made  his  assistance  a 
matter  of  life  and  death ;  and  the  doctor 
understood  and  appreciated  the  young  man's 
silence. 

"  He  thinks  I  might  have  a  touch  of  pro 
fessional  jealousy — he  thinks  I  might  suspect 
him  of  wanting  a  partnership  as  well  as  a  wife ; 
he  wishes  to  take  his  full  share  of  the  dangers 
of  war,  without  getting  behind  the  shield  of 
his  profession " ;  these  feelings  the  doctor 
understood,  and  he  passed  from  Fray  Ignatius 
to  this  pleasanter  topic,  gladly. 

He  told  the  Seftora  what  a  noble  son  they 
were  going  to  have  ;  he  said,  "  when  the  war 
is  over,  Maria,  my  dear,  he  shall  marry  An- 
tonia." 

"  And  what  do  you  say,  Roberto,  if  I  should 
give  them  the  fine  house  on  the  Plaza  that  my 
brother  Perfecto  left  me  ?  " 

"  If  you  do  that  you  will  be  the  best  mother 


THE    STORMING   OF    THE  ALAMO.        203 

in  the  world,  Maria.  I  then  will  take  Dare 
into  partnership.  He  is  good  and  clever  ;  and 
I  am  a  little  weary  of  work.  I  shall  enjoy 
coming  home  earlier  to  you.  We  will  go 
riding  and  walking,  and  our  courting  days  will 
begin  again." 

"  Maria  Santissima!  How  delightful  that 
will  be,  Roberto  !  And  as  for  our  Isabel,  shall 
we  not  make  her  happy  also?  Luis  should 
have  done  as  his  own  family  have  done ;  a 
young  man  to  go  against  his  mother  and  his 
uncles,  that  is  very  wicked  !  but,  if  we  forgive 
that  fault,  well,  then,  Luis  is  as  good  as  good 
bread." 

"  I  think  so.  He  began  the  study  of  the 
law.  He  must  finish  it.  He  must  learn  the 
American  laws  also.  I  am  not  a  poor  man, 
Maria.  I  will  give  Isabel  the  fortune  worthy 
of  a  Yturbide  or  a  Flores — a  fortune  that  will 
make  her  very  welcome  to  the  Alvedas." 

The  Seftora  clasped  her  husband's  hand  with 
a  smile.  They  were  sweetening  their  own 
happiness  with  making  the  happiness  of  their 
children.  They  looked  first  at  Antonia.  She 
sat  with  Dare,  earnestly  talking  to  him  in  a  low 
voice.  Dare  clasped  in  his  own  the  dear  little 


204  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

hand  that  had  been  promised  to  him.  Antonia 
bent  toward  her  lover ;  her  fair  head  rested 
against  his  shoulder.  Isabel  sat  in  a  large 
'chair,  and  Luis  leaned  on  the  back  of  it,  stoop 
ing  his  bright  face  to  the  lovely  one  which  was 
sometimes  dropped  to  hide  her  blushes,  and 
sometimes  lifted  with  flashing  eyes  to-answer 
his  tender  words. 

"  My  happiness  is  so  great,  Roberto,  I  am 
even  tired  of  being  happy.  Call  Rachela.  I 
must  go  to  sleep.  To-night  I  cannot  even  say 
an  ave." 

"  God  hears  the  unspoken  prayer  in  your 
heart,  Maria ;  and  to-night  let  me  help  you  up- 
stairs.  My  arm  is  stronger  than  Rachela's." 

She  rose  with  a  little  affectation  of  greater 
weakness  and  lassitude  than  she  really  felt. 
But  she  wished  to  be  weak,  so  that  her  Ro 
berto  might  be  strong — to  be  quite  dependent 
on  his  care  and  tenderness  And  she  let  her 
daughters  embrace  her  so  prettily,  and  then 
offered  her  hand  to  Dare  and  Luis  with  so 
much  grace  and  true  kindness  that  both 
young  men  were  enchanted. 

"  It  is  to  be  seen  that  they  are  gentlemen," 
she  said,  as  she  went  slowly  upstairs  on  her 


THE   STORMING  OF   THE  ALAMO.         205 

husband's  arm — "  and  hark !  that  is  the  sing, 
ing  of  Luis.  What  is  it  he  says?"  They 
stood  still  to  listen.  Clear  and  sweet  were  the 
chords  of  the  mandolin,  and  melodiously  to 
them  Luis  was  protesting — 

"  Freedom  shall  have  our  shining  blades  ! 
Our  hearts  are  yours,  fair  Texan  maids  I "' 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    DOCTOR  AND    THE    PRIEST. 

*'  I  tell  thee,  priest,  if  the  world  were  wise 
They  would  not  wag  one  finger  in  your  quarrels  : 
Your  heaven  you  promise,  but  our  earth  you  covet  ; 
The  Phaetons  of  mankind,  who  fire  the  world 
Which  you  were  sent  by  preaching  but  to  warm." 

Your  Saviour  came  not  with  a  gaudy  show, 
Nor  was  His  kingdom  of  the  world  below  : 
The  crown  He  wore  was  of  the  pointed  thorn  , 
In  purple  He  was  crucified,  not  born. 
They  who  contend  for  place  and  high  degree 
Are  not  His  sons,  but  those  of  Zebedee. " 

— DRYDEN. 

THE  exalted  state  of  mind  which  the 
victorious  men  had  brought  home  with 
them  did  not  vanish  with  sleep.  The  same 
heroic  atmosphere  was  in  the  house  in  the 
morning.  Antonia's  face  had  a  brightness 
upon  it  that  never  yet  was  the  result  of  mere 
flesh  and  blood.  When  she  came  into  the 
usual  sitting-room,  Dare  was  already  there ; 
indeed,  he  had  risen  purposely  for  this  hour. 
Their  smiles  and  glances  met  each  other  with 
206 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.         207 

an  instantaneous  understanding.  It  was  the 
old  Greek  greeting  "  Rejoice !  "  without  the 
audible  expression. 

Never  again,  perhaps,  in  all  their  lives  would 
moments  so  full  of  sweetness  and  splendor  come 
to  them.  They  were  all  the  sweeter  because 
blended  with  the  homely  duties  that  fell  to 
Antonia's  hands.  As  she  went  about  ordering 
the  breakfast,  and  giving  to  the  table  a  festal 
air,  Dare  thought  of  the  old  Homeric  heroes, 
and  the  daughters  of  the  kings  who  ministered 
to  their  wants.  The  bravest  of  them  had 
done  no  greater  deeds  of  personal  valor  than 
had  been  done  by  the  little  band  of  American 
pioneers  and  hunters  with  whom  he  had 
fought  the  last  four  days.  The  princes  among 
them  had  been  welcomed  by  no  sweeter  and 
fairer  women  than  had  welcomed  his  com 
panions  and  himself. 

And,  though  his  clothing  was  black  with  the 
smoke  of  the  battle  and  torn  with  the  fray, 
never  had  Dare  himself  looked  so  handsome. 
There  was  an  unspeakable  radiance  in  his 
fair  face.  The  close,  brown  curls  of  his  hair ; 
his  tall  figure,  supple  and  strong ;  his  air 
of  youth,  and  valor,  and  victory  ;  the  love-light 


208  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

in  his  eyes  ;  the  hopes  in  his  heart,  made  him 
for  the  time  really  more  than  a  mere  mortal 
man.  He  walked  like  the  demi-gods  he  was 
thinking  of.  The  most  glorious  ideal  of  life, 
the  brightest  dream  of  love  that  he  had  ever 
had,  found  in  this  hour  their  complete  real 
ization. 

The  Seflora  did  not  come  down  ;  but  Isabel 
and  Luis  and  the  doctor  joined  the  breakfast 
party.  Luis  had  evidently  been  to  see  Lopez 
Navarro  before  he  did  so  ;  for  he  wore  a  new 
suit  of  dark  blue  velvet  and  silver,  a  sash  of 
crimson  silk,  the  neatest  of  patent  leather 
shoes,  and  the  most  beautifully  embroidered 
linen.  Dare  gave  him  a  little  smile  and  nod  of 
approbation.  He  had  not  thought  of  fine 
clothing  for  himself ;  but  then  for  the  hand- 
some,  elegant,  Mexican  youth  it  seemed 
precisely  the  right  thing.  And  Isabel,  in  her 
scarlet  satin  petticoat,  and  white  embroideries 
and  satin  slippers,  looked  his  proper  mate. 
Dare  and  Antonia,  and  even  the  doctor, 
watched  their  almost  childlike  devotion  to 
each  other  with  sympathetic  delight. 

Oh,  if  such  moments  could  only  last  ! 
No,  no  ;  as  a  rule  they  last  long  enough.  Joy 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.         209 

wearies  as  well  as  sorrow.  An  abiding  rapture 
would  make  itself  a  sorrow  out  of  our  very 
weakness  to  bear  it.  We  should  become  ex 
hausted  and  exacting,  and  be  irritated  by  the 
limitations  of  our  nature,  and  our  inability  to 
create  and  to  endure  an  increasing  rapture.  It 
is  because  joy  is  fugitive  that  it  leaves  us  a 
delightsome  memory.  It  is  far  better,  then, 
not  to  hold  the  rose  until  it  withers  in  our 
fevered  hand. 

The  three  women  watched  their  heroes  go 
back  to  the  city.  The  doctor  looked  very  little 
older  than  his  companions.  He  sat  his  horse 
superbly,  and  he  lifted  his  hat  to  the  proud 
Seftora  with  a  loving  grace  which  neither  of 
the  young  men  could  excel.  In  that  far  back 
year,  when  he  had  wooed  her  with  the  sweet 
words  she  taught  him,  he  had  not  looked  more 
manly  and  attractive.  There  is  a  perverse  dis 
position  in  women  to  love  personal  prowess, 
and  to  adore  the  heroes  of  the  battle-field  ;  and 
never  had  the  Seflora  loved  her  husband  as 
she  did  at  that  hour. 

In  his  capacity  of  physician  he  had  done 
unnoticed  deeds  of  far  greater  bravery — gone 
into  a  Comanche  camp  that  was  being  devas- 


no  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

tated  by  smallpox — or  galloped  fifty  miles 
alone  in  the  night,  through  woods  haunted  by 
savage  men  and  beasts,  to  succor  some  little 
child  struggling  with  croup,  or  some  fron 
tiersman  pierced  with  an  arrow.  The  Seftora 
had  always  fretted  and  scolded  a  little  when  he 
thus  exposed  his  life.  But  the  storming  of 
the  Alamo  !  That  was  a  bravery  she  could 
understand.  Her  Roberto  was  indeed  a  hero  ! 
Though  she  could  not  bring  herself  to  approve 
the  cause  for  which  he  fought,  she  was  as 
sensitive  as  men  and  women  always  are  to  vic 
torious  valor  and  a  successful  cause. 

Rachela  was  in  a  state  of  rebellion.  Noth 
ing  but  the  express  orders  of  Fray  Ignatius,  to 
remain  where  she  was,  prevented  her  leaving 
the  Worths ;  for  the  freedom  so  suddenly 
given  to  Isabel  had  filled  her  with  indignation. 
She  was  longing  to  be  in  some  house  where 
she  could  give  adequate  expression  to  the 
diabolical  temper  she  felt  it  right  to  indulge. 

In  the  afternoon  it  was  some  relief  to  see 
the  confessor  coming  up  the  garden.  He  had 
resumed  his  usual  deliberate  pace.  His  hands 
were  folded  upon  his  breast.  He  looked  as 
the  mournful  Jeremiah  may  have  looked,  when 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.         21 1 

he  had  the  burden  of  a  heavy  prophecy  to 
deliver. 

The  Seflora  sat  down  with  a  doggedly  sullen 
air,  which  Antonia  understood  very  well.  It 
meant,  "  I  am  not  to  be  forced  to  take  anyway 
but  my  own,  to-day ";  and  the  wise  priest 
understood  her  mood  as  soon  as  he  entered 
the  room.  He  put  behind  him  the  reproof 
he  had  been  meditating.  He  stimulated  her 
curiosity ;  he  asked  her  sympathy.  No  man 
knew  better  than  Fray  Ignatius,  when  to 
assume  sacerdotal  authority  and  when  to  lay 
it  aside. 

And  the  Sefiora  was  never  proof  against  the 
compliment  of  his  personal  friendship.  The 
fight,  as  it  affected  himself  and  his  brother* 
hood  and  the  convent,  was  full  of  interest  to 
her.  She  smiled  at  Brother  Servando's  child 
ish  alarm ;  she  was  angry  at  an  insult  offered 
to  the  venerable  abbot ;  she  condoled  with  the 
Sisters,  wept  at  the  danger  that  the  famous 
statue  of  the  Virgin  de  Los  Remedias  had 
been  exposed  to ;  and  was  altogether  as  sym 
pathetic  as  he  could  desire,  until  her  own 
affairs  were  mentioned. 

"  And  you  also,  my  daughter  ?     The  sword 


212  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO, 

has  pierced  your  heart  too,  I  am  sure!  To 
know  that  your  husband  and  sons  were  fight- 
ing  against  your  God  and  your  country! 
Holy  Mother !  How  great  must  have  been 
your  grief.  But,  for  your  comfort,  I  tell  you 
that  the  saints  who  have  suffered  a  fiery  mar 
tyrdom  stand  at  the  feet  of  those  who,  like 
you,  endure  the  continual  crucifixion  of  their 
affections." 

The  Seftora  was  silent,  but  not  displeased  ; 
and  the  priest  then  ventured  a  little  fur 
ther  : 

"  But  there  is  an  end  to  all  trials,  daughter ; 
and  I  now  absolve  you  from  the  further  strug 
gle.  Decide  this  day  for  your  God  and  your 
country.  Make  an  offering  to  Almighty  God 
and  the  Holy  Mother  of  your  earthly  love. 
Give  yourself  and  your  daughters  and  all  that 
you  have  to  the  benign  and  merciful  Church. 
Show  these  rebels  and  heretics — these  ungrate 
ful  recipients  of  Mexican  bounty — what  a  true 
Catholic  is  capable  of.  His  Divine  Majesty 
and  the  Holy  Mary  demand  this  supreme 
sacrifice  from  you." 

"  Father,  I  have  my  husband,  and  my  sons; 
to  them,  also,  I  owe  some  duties." 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE   PRIEST.         213 

"  The  Church  will  absolve  you  from  them." 

"  It  would  break  my  heart." 

"  Listen  then :  If  it  is  your  right  hand,  or 
your  right  eye — that  is,  if  it  is  your  husband, 
or  your  child — you  are  commanded  to  give 
them  up  ;  or — it  is  God's  word — there  is  only 
hell  fire." 

"  Mother  of  Sorrows,  pity  me  !  What  shall 
I  do?" 

She  looked  with  the  terror  of  a  child  into 
the  dark,  cruel  face  of  the  priest.  It  was  as 
immovably  stern  as  if  carved  out  of  stone. 
Then  her  eyes  sought  those  of  Antonia,  who 
sat  at  a  distant  window  with  her  embroidery 
in  her  hand.  She  let  it  fall  when  her  mother's 
pitiful,  uncertain  glance  asked  from  her 
strength  and  counsel.  She  rose  and  went  to 
her.  Never  had  the  tall,  fair  girl  looked  so 
noble.  A  sorrowful  majesty,  that  had  some 
thing  in  it  of  pity  and  something  of  anger, 
gave  to  her  countenance,  her  movements,  and 
even  her  speech,  a  kind  of  authority. 

"Dear  mother,  do  as  the  beloved  and  kind- 
hearted  Ruth  did.  Like  you,  she  married  one 
not  of  her  race  and  not  of  her  religion.  Even 
when  God  had  taken  him  from  her,  she  chose 


214  RE  ME  AMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

to  remain  with  his  people — to  leave  her  own 
people  and  abide  with  his  mother.  For  this 
act  God  blessed  her,  and  all  nations  in  all  ages 
have  honored  her." 

"  Ruth !  Ruth !  Ruth  !  What  has  Ruth  to  do 
with  the  question  ?  Presumptuous  one  !  Ruth 
was  a  heathen  woman — a  Moabite — a  race  ten 
times  accursed." 

"  Pardon,  father.  Ruth  was  the  ancestress 
of  our  blessed  Saviour,  and  of  the  Virgin 
Mary." 

"  Believe  not  the  wicked  one,  Seftora  ?  She 
2s  blinded  with  false  knowledge.  She  is  a 
heretic.  I  have  long  suspected  it.  She  has 
not  been  to  confession  for  nine  months." 

"  You  wrong  me,  father.  Every  day,  twice 
a  day,  I  confess  my  sins  humbly." 

"Chito!  You  are  in  outrageous  sin.  But, 
then,  what  else  ?  I  hear,  indeed,  that  you  read 
wicked  books — even  upon  your  knees  you  read 
them." 

"  I  read  my  Bible,  father." 

"  Bring  it  to  me.  How  could  a  child  like 
you  read  the  Bible  ?  It  is  a  book  for  bishops 
and  archbishops,  and  the  Immaculate  Father 
himself.  What  an  arrogance  ?  What  an  in- 


THE  DOCTOR   AND    THE  PRIEST.         215 

science  of  self-conceit  must  possess  so  young  a 
heart  ?  Saints  of  God  !  It  confounds  me." 

The  girl  stood  with  burning  cheeks  gazing  at 
the  proud,  passionate  man,  but  she  did  not  obey 
his  order. 

"  Sefiora,  my  daughter  !  See  you  with  your 
own  eyes  the  fruit  of  your  sin.  Will  you  dare 
to  become  a  partner  in  such  wickedness?  " 

"Antonia!  Antonia!  Go  at  once  and  bring 
here  this  wicked  book.  Oh,  how  can  you  make 
so  miserable  a  mother  who  loves  you  so  much  ?" 

In  a  few  moments  Antonia  returned  with  the 
objectionable  book.  "  My  dear  grandmother 
gave  it  to  me,"  she  said.  "  Look,  mi  madre, 
here  is  my  name  in  her  writing.  Is  it  conceiv 
able  that  she  would  give  to  your  Antonia  a 
book  that  she  ought  not  to  read  ?  " 

The  Sefiora  took  it  in  her  hands  and  turned 
the  leaves  very  much  as  a  child  might  turn 
those  of  a  book  in  an  unknown  tongue,  in  which 
there  were  no  illustrations  nor  anything  that 
looked  the  least  interesting.  It  was  a  pretty 
volume  of  moderate  size,  bound  in  purple 
morocco,  and  fastened  with  gilt  clasps. 

"  I  see  the  word  God  in  it  very  often,  Fray 
Ignatius.  Perhaps,  indeed,  it  is  not  bad." 


2l6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  It  is  a  heretic  Bible,  I  am  sure.  Could  any* 
thing  be  more  sinful,  more  disrespectful  to  God, 
more  dangerous  for  a  young  girl?"  and  as  he 
said  the  words  he  took  it  from  the  Seftora's  list- 
less  hands,  glanced  at  the  obnoxious  title-page, 
and  then,  stepping  hastily  to  the  hearth,  flung 
the  book  upon  the  burning  logs. 

With  a  cry  of  horror,  pain,  amazement,  all 
blended,  Antonia  sprang  towards  the  fire,  but 
Fray  Ignatius  stood  with  outstretched  arms 
before  it. 

11  Stand  back  !  "  he  cried.  "  To  save  your  soul 
from  eternal  fires,  I  burn  the  book  that  has 
misled  you  !  " 

"Oh,  my  Bible!  Oh,  my  Bible!  Oh,  mother! 
mother !  "  and  sobbing  and  crying  out  in  her 
fear  and  anger,  she  fled  down  stairs  and  called 
the  peon  Ortiz. 

"  Do  you  know  where  to  find  the  Sefior 
Doctor?  If  you  do,  Ortiz,  take  the  swiftest 
horse  and  bring  him  here." 

The  man  looked  with  anger  into  the  girl's 
troubled  face.  For  a  moment  he  was  some 
thing  unlike  himself.  "  I  can  find  him  ;  I  will 
bring  him  in  fifteen  minutes.  Corpus  Christi ! 
it  is  here  he  should  be." 


THE   DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.         217 

The  saddled  horse  in  the  stable  was  mounted 
as  he  muttered  one  adjuration  and  oath  after 
another,  and  Antonia  sat  down  at  the  window 
to  watch  for  the  result  of  her  message.  For 
tunately,  Rachela  had  been  so  interested  in  the 
proceedings,  and  so  determined  to  know  all 
about  them,  that  she  seized  the  opportunity  of 
the  outcry  to  fly  to  "  her  poor  Sefiora,"  and 
thus  was  ignorant  of  the  most  unusual  step 
taken  by  Antonia. 

Indeed,  no  one  was  aware  of  it  but  herself 
and  Ortiz  ;  and  the  servants  in  the  kitchen 
looked  with  a  curious  interest  at  the  doctor 
riding  into  the  stable  yard  as  if  his  life  de 
pended  upon  his  speed.  Perhaps  it  did.  All 
of  them  stopped  their  work  to  speculate  upon 
the  circumstance. 

They  saw  him  fling  himself  from  the  saddle ; 
they  saw  Antonia  run  to  meet  him ;  they 
heard  her  voice  full  of  distress — they  knew  it 
was  the  voice  of  complaint.  They  were  aware 
it  was  answered  by  a  stamp  on  the  flagged  hall 
of  the  doctor's  iron-heeled  boot — which  rang 
through  the  whole  house,  and  which  was  but 
the  accompaniment  of  the  fierce  exclamation 
that  went  with  it. 


*l8  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

They  heard  them  mount  the  stairs  together, 
and  then  they  were  left  to  their  imaginations. 
As  for  Antonia,  she  was  almost  terrified  at  the 
storm  she  had  raised.  Never  had  she  seen  an 
ger  so  terrible.  Yet,  though  he  had  not  said  a 
word  directly  to  her,  she  was  aware  of  his  full 
sympathy.  He  grasped  her  hand,  and  entered 
the  Sefiora's  room  with  her.  His  first  order 
was  to  Rachela — 

"Leave  the  house  in  five  minutes;  no,  in 
three  minutes.  I  will  tell  Ortiz  to  send  your 
clothes  after  you.  Go  !  " 

"  My  Sefiora  !     Fray  Ig — " 

"  Go  !  "  he  thundered.  "  Out  of  my  house ! 
Fly !  I  will  not  endure  you  another  mo 
ment." 

The  impetus  of  his  words  was  like  a  great 
wind.  They  drove  the  woman  before  him,  and 
he  shut  the  door  behind  her  with  a  terrifying 
and  amazing  rage.  Then  he  turned  to  the 
priest — 

"  Fray  Ignatius,  you  have  abused  my  hos 
pitality,  and  my  patience.  You  shall  do  so  no 
longer.  For  twenty-six  years  I  have  suffered 
your  interference — " 

"  The  Sefior  is  a  prudent   man.     The  wise 


THE   DOCTOR  AND    THE   PRIEST.         219 

bear  what  they  cannot  resist";  and  with  a  gen 
tle  smile  and  lifted  eyebrows  Fray  Ignatius 
crossed  himself. 

"  I  have  respected  your  faith,  though  it  was 
the  faith  of  a  bigot ;  and  your  opinions,  though 
they  were  false  and  cruel,  because  you  be 
lieved  honestly  in  them.  But  you  shall  not 
again  interfere  with  my  wife,  or  my  children, 
or  my  servants,  or  my  house." 

"  The  Sefior  Doctor  is  not  prince,  or  pope. 
'  Shall,'  and  *  shall  not,'  no  one  but  my  own 
ecclesiastical  superiors  can  say  to  me." 

"  I  say,  you  shall  not  again  terrify  my  wife 
and  insult  my  daughter,  and  disorganize  my 
whole  household  !  And,  as  the  God  of  my 
mother  hears  me,  you  shall  not  again  burn  up 
His  Holy  Word  under  my  roof.  Never,  while 
I  dwell  beneath  it,  enter  my  gates,  or  cross  my 
threshold,  or  address  yourself  to  any  that  bear 
my  name,  or  eat  my  bread."  With  the  words, 
he  walked  to  the  door  and  held  it  open.  It 
was  impossible  to  mistake  the  unspoken  order, 
and  there  was  something  in  the  concentrated 
yet  controlled  passion  of  Robert  Worth  which 
even  the  haughty  priest  did  not  care  to  irritate 
beyond  its  bounds. 


220  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

He  gathered  his  robe  together,  and  with 
(ifted  eyes  muttered  an  ejaculatory  prayer. 
Then  he  said  in  slow,  cold,  precise  tones : 

"  For  the  present,  I  go.  Very  good.  I  shall 
come  back  again.  The  saints  will  take  care  of 
that.  Sefiora,  I  give  you  my  blessing.  Senor, 
you  may  yet  find  the  curse  of  a  poor  priest  an 
inconvenience." 

He  crossed  himself  at  the  door,  and  cast  a 
last  look  at  the  Sefiora,  who  had  thrown  her 
self  upon  her  knees,  and  was  crying  out  to 
Mary  and  the  saints  in  a  passion  of  excuses 
and  reproaches.  She  was  deaf  to  all  her  hus 
band  said.  She  would  not  suffer  Antonia  to 
approach  her.  She  felt  that  now  was  the  hour 
of  her  supreme  trial.  She  had  tolerated  the 
rebellion  of  her  husband,  and  her  sons,  and  her 
daughter,  and  now  she  was  justly  punished. 
They  had  driven  away  from  her  the  confessor, 
and  the  maid  who  had  been  her  counsellor  and 
her  reliance  from  her  girlhood. 

Her  grief  and  terror  were  genuine,  and  there 
fore  pitiful ;  and,  in  spite  of  his  annoyance,  the 
doctor  recognized  the  fact.  In  a  moment,  as 
soon  as  they  were  alone,  he  put  aside  his  anger. 
He  knelt  beside  her,  he  soothed  her  with  ten- 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.         221 

der  words,  he  pleaded  the  justice  of  his  indig 
nation.  And  ere  long  she  began  to  listen  to 
his  excuses,  and  to  complain  to  him : 

He  had  been  born  a  heretic,  and  therefore 
might  be  excused  a  little,  even  by  Almighty 
God.  But  Antonia !  Her  sin  was  beyond  en 
durance.  She  herself,  and  the  good  Sisters, 
and  Fray  Ignatius,  had  all  taught  her  in  her 
infancy  the  true  religion.  And  her  Roberto 
must  see  that  this  was  a  holy  war — a  war  for 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  No  wonder  Fray 
Ignatius  was  angry. 

"  My  dear  Maria,  every  church  thinks  itself 
right ;  and  all  other  churches  wrong.  God 
looks  at  the  heart.  If  it  is  right,  it  makes  all 
worship  true.  But  when  the  Americans  have 
won  Texas,  they  will  give  to  every  one  free 
dom  to  worship  God  as  they  wish." 

"  Saints  in  heaven,  Roberto !  That  day 
comes  not.  One  victory  !  Bah  !  That  is  an 
accident.  The  Mexicans  are  a  very  brave 
people, — the  bravest  in  the  world.  Did  they 
not  drive  the  Spaniards  out  of  their  country  ; 
and  it  is  not  to  be  contradicted  that  the  Span 
iards  have  conquered  all  other  nations.  That 
I  saw  in  a  book.  The  insult  the  Americans 


222  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

have  given  to  Mexico  will  be  revenged.  Her 
honor  has  been  compromised  before  the  world. 
Very  well,  it  will  be  made  bright  again  ;  yes, 
Fray  Ignatius  says  with  blood  and  fire  it  will 
be  made  bright." 

"And  in  the  mean  time,  Maria,  we  have 
taken  from  them  the  city  they  love  best  of  all. 
An  hour  ago  I  saw  General  Cos,  with  eleven 
hundred  Mexican  soldiers,  pass  before  a  little 
band  of  less  than  two  hundred  Americans  and 
lay  down  their  arms.  These  defenders  of  the 
Alamo  had  all  been  blessed  by  the  priests. 
Their  banners  had  been  anointed  with  holy  oil 
and  holy  water.  They  had  all  received  absolu 
tion  every  day  before  the  fight  began  ;  they  had 
been  promised  a  free  passage  through  purga 
tory  and  a  triumphant  entry  into  heaven." 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you  something;  Fray  Igna 
tius  showed  it  to  me — it  was  a  paper  printed. 
The  rebels  and  their  wives  and  children  are  to 
be  sent  from  this  earth — you  may  know  where 
they  will  all  go,  Roberto — Congress  says  so. 
The  States  will  give  their  treasures.  The  arch 
bishops  will  give  the  episcopal  treasures.  The 
convents  will  give  their  gems  and  gold  orna 
ments.  Ten  thousand  men  had  left  for  San 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE  PRIEST.          22$ 

Antonio,  and  ten  thousand  more  are  to  follow; 
the  whole  under  our  great  President  Santa 
Anna.  Oh,  yes  !  The  rebels  in  Washington 
are  to  be  punished  also.  It  is  well  known  that 
they  sent  soldiers  to  Nacogdoches.  Mexicans 
are  not  blind  moles,  and  they  have  their  intel 
ligence,  you  know.  All  the  States  who  have 
helped  these  outrageous  ingrates  are  to  be 
devastated,  and  you  will  see  that  your  famous 
Washington  will  be  turned  into  a  heap  of 
stones.  I  have  seen  these  words  in  print, 
Roberto.  I  assure  you,  that  it  is  not  just  a 
little  breath — what  one  or  another  says — it  is 
the  printed  orders  of  the  Mexican  government. 
That  is  something  these  Americans  will  have 
to  pay  attention  to." 

The  doctor  sighed,  and  answered  the  sorrow 
ful,  credulous  woman  with  a  kiss.  What  was 
the  use  of  reasoning  with  simplicity  so  igno 
rant  and  so  confident  ?  He  turned  the  conver 
sation  to  a  subject  that  always  roused  her  best 
and  kindest  feelings — her  son  Jack. 

"  I  have  just  seen  young  Dewees,  Maria.  He 
and  Jack  left  San  Felipe  together.  Dewees 
brought  instructions  to  General  Burleson  ;  and 
Jack  carried  others  to  Fannin,  at  Goliad." 


*24  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

She  took  her  husband's  hands  and  kissed 
them.  "That  indeed!  Oh,  Roberto!  If  I 
could  only  see  my  Jack  once  more  !  I  have 
had  a  constant  accusation  to  bear  about  him. 
Till  I  kiss  my  boy  again,  the  world  will  be  all 
dark  before  my  face.  If  Our  Lady  will  grant 
me  this  miraculous  favor,  I  will  always  after 
wards  be  exceedingly  religious.  I  will  give  all 
my  desires  to  the  other  world." 

"  Dearest  Maria,  God  did  not  put  us  in  this 
world  to  be  always  desiring  another.  There  is 
no  need,  mi  queridita,  to  give  up  this  life  as  a 
bad  affair.  We  shall  be  very  happy  again, 
soon." 

"  As  you  say.  If  I  could  only  see  Jack  !  For 
that,  I  would  promise  God  Almighty  and  you 
Roberto  to  be  happy.  I  would  forgive  the 
rebels  and  the  heretics — for  they  are  well 
acquainted  with  hell  road,  and  will  guide  each 
other  there  without  my  wish." 

"  I  am  sure  if  Jack  has  one  day  he  will  come 
to  you.  And  when  he  hears  of  the  surrender 
of  General  Cos — " 

"  Well  now,  it  was  God's  will  that  General 
Cos  should  surrender.  What  more  can  be 
said?  It  is  sufficient." 


THE  DOCTOR  AND    THE   P  PIE  ST.         225 

"  Let  me  call  Antonia.  She  is  miserable  at 
your  displeasure  ;  and  it  is  not  Antonia's 
fault." 

"  Pardon  me,  Roberto.  I  have  seen  Antonia. 
She  is  not  agreeable  and  obedient  to  Fray 
Ignatius." 

"  She  has  been  very  wickedly  used  by  him  • 
and  I  fear  he  intends  to  do  her  evil." 

"  It  is  not  convenient  to  discuss  the  subject 
now.  I  will  see  Isabel ;  she  is  a  good  child— 
my  only  comfort.  Paciencia  !  there  is  Luis 
Alveda singing;  Isabel  will  now  be  deaf  to  all 
else  ";  and  she  rose  with  a  sigh  and  walked 
towards  the  casement  looking  into  the  garden. 

Luis  was  coming  up  the  oleander  walk. 
The  pretty  trees  were  thinner  now,  and  had 
only  a  pink  blossom  here  and  there.  But  the 
bright  winter  sun  shone  through  them,  and  fell 
upon  Luis  and  Isabel.  For  she  had  also  seen 
him  coming,  and  had  gone  to  meet  him,  with  a 
little  rainbow-tinted  shawl  over  her  head.  She 
looked  so  piquant  and  so  happy.  She  seemed 
such  a  proper  mate  for  the  handsome  youth  at 
her  side  that  a  word  of  dissent  was  not  pos 
sible.  The  doctor  said  only,  "  She  is  so  like 
you,  Maria.  I  remember  when  you  were  still 


226  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

more  lovely,  and  when  from  your  balcony  you 
made  me  with  a  smile  the  happiest  man  in  the 
world." 

Such  words  were    never  lost   ones  ;  for  the- 
Sefiora  had  a  true  and  great  love  for  her  hus 
band.     She  gave  him  again  a  smile,  she  put  her 
hand  in  his,  and  then  there  were  no  further  con* 
ciliations  required.     They   stood   in  the  sun., 
shine  of  their  own  hearts,  and  listened  a  mo 
ment  to  the  gay  youth,  singing,  how  at— 
The  strong  old  Alamo 
Two  hundred  men,  with  rifles  true, 
Shot  down  a  thousand  of  the  foe, 
And  broke  the  triple  ramparts  through  ; 
And  dropped  the  flag  as  black  as  night, 
For  Freedom's  green  and  red  and  white.* 

*  The  flag  of  the  Mexican  Republic  of  1824  was  greei\ 
red  and  white  in  color. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A    HAPPY    TRUCE. 

**  Well,  honor  is  the  subject  of  my  story ; 
I  cannot  tell  what  you  and  other  men 
Think  of  this  life ;  but  for  my  single  self, 
I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself." 

"  Two  truths  are  told 
As  happy  prologues  to  the  swelling  act, 
Of  the  imperial  theme." 

"  This  is  the  eve  of  Christmas, 
No  sleep  from  night  to  morn  ; 
The  Virgin  is  in  travail, 
At  twelve  will  the  Child  be  born." 

/CITIES  have  not  only  a  certain  physiog- 
\j  nomy ;  they  have  also  a  decided  mental 
and  moral  character,  and  a  definite  political 
tendency.  There  are  good  and  bad  cities,  ar 
tistic  and  commercial  cities,  scholarly  and  man 
ufacturing  cities,  aristocratic  and  radical  cities. 
San  Antonio,  in  its  political  and  social  charac 
ter,  was  a  thoroughly  radical  city.  Its  popula 
tion,  composed  in  a  large  measure  of  adventur- 
227 


228  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

ous  units  from  various  nationalities,  had  that 
fluid  rather  than  fixed  character,  which  is  sus 
ceptible  to  new  ideas.  For  they  were  generally 
men  who  had  found  the  restraints  of  the  centu 
ries  behind  them  to  be  intolerable — men  to 
whom  freedom  was  the  grand  ideal  of  life. 

It  may  be  easily  undertood  that  this  element 
in  the  population  of  San  Antonio  was  a  power- 
ful  one,  and  that  a  little  of  such  leaven  would 
stir  into  activity  a  people  who,  beneath  the  crust 
of  their  formal  piety,  had  still  something  left  of 
that  pride  and  adventurous  spirit  which  distin 
guished  the  Spain  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabel. 

In  fact,  no  city  on  the  American  continent 
has  such  a  bloody  record  as  San  Antonio. 
From  its  settlement  by  the  warlike  monks  of 
1692,  to  its  final  capture  by  the  Americans  in 
1836,  it  was  well  named  "  the  city  of  the 
sword."  The  Comanche  and  the  white  man 
fought  around  its  walls  their  forty  years'  battle 
for  supremacy.  From  1810  to  1821  its  streets 
were  constantly  bloody  with  the  fight  between 
the  royalists  and  republicans,  and  the  city 
and  the  citadel  passed  from  one  party  to  the 
other  continually.  And  when  it  came  to  the 
question  of  freedom  and  American  domina' 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  22C 

tion,  San  Antonio  was,  as  it  had  ever  been,  the 
great  Texan  battle-field. 

Its  citizens  then  were  well  used  to  the  for 
tunes  and  changes  of  war.  Men  were  living 
who  had  seen  the  horrors  of  the  auto  da  fe  and 
the  splendors  of  viceregal  authority.  Insurgent 
nobles,  fighting  priests,  revolutionizing  Ameri 
cans,  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  all 
chances  and  changes  of  religious  and  military 
power,  had  ruled  it  with  a  temporary  absolut 
ism  during  their  generation. 

In  the  main  there  was  a  favorable  feeling 
regarding  its  occupation  by  the  Americans, 
The  most  lawless  of  them  were  law-abiding  in 
comparison  with  any  kind  of  victorious  Mexi 
cans.  Americans  protected  private  property, 
they  honored  women,  they  observed  the  sanc 
tity  of  every  man's  home ;  "  and,  as  for  being 
heretics,  that  was  an  affair  for  the  saints  and 
the  priests ;  the  comfortable  benefits  of  the 
Holy  Catholic  Church,  had  not  been  vouch 
safed  to  all  nations." 

Political  changes  are  favorable  to  religious 
tolerance,  and  the  priests  themselves  had  been 
sensible  of  a  great  decrease  in  their  influence 
during  the  pending  struggle.  Prominent  Mexi- 


230  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

cans  had  given  aid  and  comfort  to  the  Ameri 
cans  in  spite  of  their  spiritual  orders,  and  there 
were  many  men  who,  like  Lopez  Navarro,  did 
not  dare  to  go  to  confession,  because  they 
would  have  been  compelled  to  acknowledge 
themselves  rebels. 

When  the  doctor  and  Dare  and  Luis  reached 
the  Plaza,  the  morning  after  the  surrender,  they 
found  the  city  already  astir.  Thousands  of 
women  were  in  the  churches  saying  masses  for 
the  dead ;  the  men  stood  at  their  store  doors  or 
sat  smoking  on  their  balconies,  chatting  with 
the  passers-by  or  watching  the  movements  of 
the  victorious  army  and  the  evacuation  of  the 
conquered  one. 

Nearly  all  of  the  brave  two  hundred  occu 
pied  the  Plaza.  They  were  still  greatly  excited 
by  the  miraculous  ecstacy  of  victory.  But 
when  soldiers  in  the  death-pang  rejoice  under 
its  influence,  what  wonder  that  the  living  feel 
its  intoxicating  rapture?  They  talked  and 
walked  as  if  they  already  walked  the  streets  of 
Mexico.  All  things  seemed  possible  to  them. 
The  royalty  of  their  carriage,  the  authority  in 
their  faces,  gave  dignity  even  to  their  deer 
skin  clothing.  Its  primitive  character  was  its 


A   HAPPY    TRUCE.  231 

distinction,  and  the  wearers  'looked  like  the 
demi-gods  of  the  heroic  stage  of  history. 

Lopez  Navarro  touched  the  doctor  and 
directed  his  attention  to  them.  "  Does  the 
world,  Sefior,  contain  the  stuff  to  make  their 
counterparts  ?  " 

"  They  are  Americans,  Navarro.  And 
though  there  are  a  variety  of  Americans,  they 
have  only  one  opinion  about  submitting  to 
tyrants — they  wont  do  it!  " 

This  was  the  conversation  interrupted  by 
Ortiz  and  the  message  he  brought,  and  the 
doctor  was  thoroughly  sobered  by  the  events 
following.  He  was  not  inclined  to  believe,  as 
the  majority  of  the  troops  did,  that  Mexico 
was  conquered.  He  expected  that  the  Seftora's 
prediction  would  be  verified.  And  the  per 
sonal  enmity  which  the  priesthood  felt  to  him 
induced  a  depressing  sense  of  personal  disaster. 

Nothing  in  the  house  or  the  city  seemed  in 
clined  to  settle.  It  took  a  few  days  to  draw 
up  the  articles  of  capitulation  and  clear  the 
town  of  General  Cos  and  the  Mexican  troops. 
And  he  had  no  faith  in  their  agreement  to 
"  retire  from  Texas,  and  never  again  carry  arms 
against  the  Americans."  He  knew  that  they 


232  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

did  not  consider  it  any  sin  to  make  "  a  mental 
reservation  "  against  a  heretic.  He  was  quite 
sure  that  if  Cos  met  reinforcements,  he  would 
have  to  be  fought  over  again  immediately. 

And  amid  these  public  cares  and  considera 
tions,  he  had  serious  private  ones.  The  Se- 
ftora  was  still  under  the  control  of  Fray  Igna 
tius.  It  required  all  the  influence  of  his  own 
personal  presence  and  affection  to  break  the 
spiritual  captivity  in  which  he  held  her.  He 
knew  that  the  priest  had  long  been  his  enemy. 

He  saw  that  Antonia  was  hated  by  him.  He 
was  in  the  shadow  of  a  terror  worse  than  death 
— that  of  a  long,  hopeless  captivity.  A  dun 
geon  and  a  convent  might  become  to  them  a 
living  grave,  in  which  cruelty  and  despair  would 
slowly  gnaw  life  away. 

And  yet,  for  a  day  or  two  he  resolved  not 
to  speak  of  his  terror.  The  Sefiora  was  so 
happy  in  his  presence,  and  she  had  such  kind 
confidences  to  give  him  about  her  plans  for 
her  children's  future,  that  he  could  not  bear  to 
alarm  her.  And  the  children  also  were  so  full 
of  youth's  enthusiasms  and  love's  sweet  dreams. 
Till  the  last  moment  why  should  he  awaken 
them?  And  as  the  strongest  mental  element 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  233 

in  a  home  gives  the  tone  to  it,  so  Dare  and 
Antonia,  with  the  doctor  behind  them,  gave  to 
the  Mexican  household  almost  an  American 
freedom  of  intercourse  and  community  of 
pleasure. 

The  Seflora  came  to  the  parlor  far  more  fre 
quently,  and  in  her  own  apartments  her  chil 
dren  visited  her  with  but  slight  ceremony. 
They  discussed  all  together  their  future  plans. 
They  talked  over  a  wonderful  journey  which 
they  were  to  take  in  company  to  New  Orleans, 
and  Washington,  and  New  York,  and  perhaps 
even  to  London  and  Paris — "  who  could  tell,  if 
the  Seflora  would  be  so  good  as  to  enjoy  her 
self  ?  "  They  ate  more  together.  They  got 
into  the  habit  of  congregating  about  the  same 
hearthstone.  It  was  the  Seftora's  first  real  ex 
perience  of  domestic  life. 

In  about  six  days  the  Mexican  forces  left  the 
city.  The  terms  of  surrender  granted  Gen 
eral  Cos  struck  the  Mexicans  with  a  kind  of 
wonder.  They  had  fought  with  the  express 
declaration  that  they  would  take  no  American 
prisoner.  Yet  the  Americans  not  only  per 
mitted  Cos  and  his  troops  to  leave  under  pa 
role  of  honor,  but  gave  them  their  arms  and 


234  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

sufficient  ammunition  to  protect  themselves 
from  the  Indians  on  their  journey  home.  They 
allowed  them  also  all  their  private  property. 
They  furnished  them  with  the  provisions 
necessary  to  reach  the  Rio  Grande.  They 
took  charge  of  their  sick  and  wounded.  They 
set  all  the  Mexican  prisoners  at  liberty — in 
short,  so  great  was  their  generosity  and  cour 
tesy  that  the  Mexicans  were  unable  to  compre 
hend  their  motives. 

Even  Lopez  was  troubled  at  it.  "  I  assure 
you,"  he  said  to  Dr.  Worth,  "  they  will  despise 
such  civility ;  they  will  not  believe  in  its  sin 
cerity.  At  this  very  blessed  hour  of  God,  they 
are  accusing  the  Americans  of  being  afraid  to 
press  their  advantage.  Simply,  you  will  have 
the  fight  to  make  over  again.  I  say  this,  be 
cause  I  know  Santa  Anna." 

"  Santa  Anna  is  but  a  man,  Lopez." 
"  Me  perdonas  !  He  is  however  a  man  who 
knows  a  trick  more  than  the  devil.  One  must 
be  careful  of  a  bull  in  front,  of  a  mule  behind, 
and  of  a  monk  and  Santa  Anna  on  all  sides. 
At  the  word  monk,  Lopez  glanced  significantly 
at  a  passing  priest,  and  Doctor  Worth  saw 
that  it  was  Fray  Ignatius. 


A   HAPPY    TRUCE.  235 

"  He  sprinkled  the  Mexican  troops  with 
holy  water,  and  blessed  them  as  they  left  the 
city  this  morning.  He  has  the  ear  of  General 
Cos.  He  is  not  a  man  to  offend,  I  assure 
you,  Doctor." 

The  doctor  walked  thoughtfully  away.  San 
Antonio  was  full  of  his  friends,  yet  never  had 
he  felt  himself  and  his  family  to  be  in  so  much 
danger.  And  the  words  of  Lopez  had  struck  a 
responding  chord  in  his  own  consciousness. 
The  careless  bravery,  the  splendid  generosity 
of  his  countrymen  was  at  least  premature.  He 
went  through  the  city  with  observing  eyes,  and 
saw  much  to  trouble  him. 

The  gates  of  Alamo  were  open.  Crockett 
lounged  upon  his  rifle  in  the  Plaza.  A  little 
crowd  was  around  him,  and  the  big  Tennes- 
seean  hunter  was  talking  to  them.  Shouts  of 
laughter,  bravas  of  enthusiasm,  answered  the 
homely  wit  and  stirring  periods  that  had  over 
and  over  "  mads  room  for  Colonel  Crockett," 
both  in  the  Tennessee  Legislature  and  the 
United  States  Congress.  His  rifle  seemed  a 
part  of  him — a  kind  of  third  arm.  His  con* 
fident  manner,  his  manliness  and  bravery, 
turned  his  wit  into  wisdom.  The  young 


236  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

fellows  around  found  in  him  their  typical 
leader. 

The  elegant  James  Bowie  was  sitting  on  the 
verandah  of  the  Veramendi  House,  calmly 
smoking.  His  fair,  handsome  face,  clear  blue 
eyes  and  mild  manners,  gave  no  indication  of 
the  gigantic  physical  strength  and  tremendous 
coolness  and  courage  of  the  man  who  never 
tolerated  an  enemy  in  his  presence.  Burleson 
and  Travis  were  talking  under  the  shade  of  a 
China  tree,  and  there  were  little  groups  of 
American  soldiers  on  every  street;  this  was 
what  he  saw,  and  yet  a  terrible  sense  of  inse 
curity  oppressed  him. 

The  city,  moreover,  was  not  settling  to  its 
usual  business,  though  there  were  many  prep 
arations  for  public  and  private  entertainments. 
After  passing  Colonel  Bowie,  he  met  David 
Burnett.  The  shrewd  statesman  from  New  Jer 
sey  had  a  shadow  upon  his  face.  He  stopped 
Doctor  Worth  and  spoke  frankly  to  him.  "  We 
are  in  greater  danger  now  than  when  we  were 
under  fire,"  he  said.  "  Santa  Anna  will  come 
on  us  like  a  lion  from  the  swellings  of  Jordan. 
I  wish  Houston  knew  our  position  as  it  really 
is.  We  must  either  have  more  men  to  defend 


A   NAPPY   TRUCE.  237 

this  city  or  we  must  blow  up  the  Alamo  and 
be  ready  to  leave  it  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"  Why  were  such  favorable  terms  given  to 
General  Cos  and  his  troops  ?  I  cannot  under 
stand  it." 

"  I  will  tell  you  an  amazing  fact.  When 
Cos  ran  up  that  white  flag  on  the  Alamo,  we 
had  not  a  single  round  of  ammunition  left ; 
complaisance  was  necessary  until  Cos  made 
over  to  us  the  Mexican  arms,  ammunition, 
property  and  money." 

Worth  turned  and  looked  at  the  fort.  A 
great  red  flag  on  which  was  the  word 
T-E-X-A-S  floated  from  its  battlements,  and 
there  were  two  men  standing  on  its  roof,  with 
their  faces  westward. 

"They  are  the  lookouts,"  said  Burnett, 
"  and  we  have  scouts  through  the  surrounding 
country ;  but  Santa  Anna  will  come,  when  he 
comes,  with  tens  of  thousands." 

"  And  there  is  a  line  where  even  the  coolest 
courage  and  the  most  brilliant  bravery  suc 
cumbs  to  mere  numbers — Eh  !  " 

"  That  is  what  I  mean,  Doctor." 

"Where  is  Houston?" 

<4On  the  Brazos,  at  the  small  town  of  Wash* 


238  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

ington.  The  council  have  established  heacU 
quarters  there." 

Their  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
ringing  of  a  little  bell,  and  the  doleful  suppli 
cations  of  a  priest  followed  by  a  crowd  of  idle 
men  and  women.  He  was  begging,  "  for  the 
sake  of  the  Holy  Virgin,"  alms  to  say  masses 
for  the  soul  of  an  unfortunate,  who  had  not 
left  a  peso  for  his  burial.  He  droned  on,  and 
no  one  noticed  him  until  James  Bowie 
stretched  his  tall  figure,  sauntered  up  to  the 
monk,  and  dropped  a  gold  piece  into  his  cap. 
He  did  not  stay  to  hear  the  exclamations  and 
the  gracias,  but  with  steps  that  rang  like  metal 
upon  metal  took  his  way  to  the  Alamo. 

However,  dangers  postponed  make  the  most 
timorous  indifferent  to  them ;  and  when  Gen 
eral  Cos  did  not  return,  and  nothing  was  heard 
of  Santa  Anna,  every  one  began  to  take  up  their 
ordinary  life  again.  The  temper  of  the  Amer 
icans  also  encouraged  this  disposition.  They 
were  discovered  neither  to  be  bloodthirsty  nor 
cannibals.  It  was  even  seen  that  they  enjoyed 
the  fandango  and  the  mont6  tables,  and  that  a 
proposition  for  a  bull-fight  at  Christmas  was 
not  opposed  by  them. 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  239 

And  in  spite  of  all  anxieties,  there  were  many 
sweet  and  unusual  pleasures  in  the  Worth 
home.  The  discipline  of  the  troops  was  so 
lenient  that  Dare  and  Luis — one  or  both — were 
generally  there  in  the  evenings.  Their  turns 
as  scouts  or  watchman  at  the  Alamo  only 
made  more  delightful  the  hours  when  they  were 
exempted  from  these  duties.  As  for  the  doctor, 
he  had  been  released  from  all  obligation?  but 
those  pertaining  to  his  profession,  and  Antonia 
noticed  that  he  spent  every  hour  he  could 
spare  with  the  Sefiora.  For  some  reason,  he 
appeared  determined  to  strengthen  his  influ 
ence  over  her. 

On  Christmas  Eve  the  old  city  was  very 
gay.  The  churches  were  decorated,  and 
splendidly  dressed  men  and  women  passed  in 
and  out  with  smiles  and  congratulations.  The 
fandangoes  and  the  gambling  houses  were  all 
open.  From  the  huertas  around,  great  num 
bers  of  families  had  come  to  receive  absolution 
and  keep  the  Nativity.  Their  rich  clothing 
and  air  of  idleness  gave  a  holiday  feeling  to 
the  streets  noisy  with  the  buzzing  of  the 
guitar,  the  metallic  throb  of  the  cithara,  the 
murmurs  of  voices,  and  the  cries  of  the  hawkers. 


240  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Priests,  Mexicans,  Indians  and  Americans 
touched  each  other  on  the  narrow  thorough 
fares,  but  that  indescribable  feeling  of  good 
will  which  comes  with  Christmas  pervaded  the 
atmosphere,  and  gave,  even  in  the  midst  of 
war  and  danger,  a  sense  of  anticipated 
pleasure. 

At  the  Worth  residence  there  was  a  house 
hold  feast.  The  Sefiora  and  her  daughters 
were  in  full  dress.  They  were  waiting  for 
the  dear  ones  who  had  promised  to  join  them 
at  the  Angelus.  One  by  one  the  houses 
around  were  illuminated.  Parties  of  simple 
musicians  began  to  pass  each  other  continu 
ally — they  were  going  to  serenade  the  blessed 
Mary  all  night  long.  As  Antonia  closed  the 
balcony  window,  half  a  dozen  of  these  young 
boys  passed  the  garden  hedge  singing  to  the 
clacking  of  their  castanets — 

"  This  is  the  eve  of  Christmas, 
No  sleep  from  night  to  morn, 
The  Virgin  is  in  travail, 
At  twelve  will  the  Child  be  born." 

Luis  appeared  at  the  same  moment.  He 
caught  up  the  wild  melody  and  came  up  the 
garden  path  singing  it.  Dare  and  the  doctor 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  241 

followed  him.  It  struck  Antonia  that  they 
were  talking  of  a  change,  or  of  something 
important.  But  there  was  no  time  for  obser 
vation.  Isabel,  radiant  in  crimson  satin,  with 
her  white  mantilla  over  her  head,  darted  for 
ward  to  meet  Luis,  and  turned  his  song  to  the 
Virgin  into  a  little  adulation  for  herself.  Dare 
and  the  doctor  took  Antonia's  hands,  and  there 
was  something  in  the  silent  clasp  of  each 
which  made  her  heart  tremble. 

But  she  was  not  one  of  those  foolish  women 
who  enquire  after  misfortune.  She  could  wait 
and  let  the  evil  news  find  her,  and  by  so  doing 
she  won  many  a  bright  hour  from  the  advanc 
ing  shadows.  The  Seftora  was  in  unusual 
spirits.  She  had  obtained  a  new  confessor.  "A 
man  of  the  most  seraphic  mind,  and,  moreover, 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  connected  with  the  house 
of  Flores."  He  had  been  gentle  to  her  in  the 
matter  of  penances,  and  not  set  her  religious 
obligations  above  her  capacities.  Consequently, 
the  Seftora  had  laid  aside  her  penitential  gar 
ments.  She  was  in  full  Castilian  costume, 
and  looked  very  handsome.  But  Antonia, 
who  had  been  in  New  York  during  those  years 
when  she  would  otherwise  have  been  learning 


*42  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

how  to  wear  a  mantilla  and  use  a  fan,  did  not 
attempt  such  difficulties  of  the  toilet.  She 
knew  that  she  would  look  unnatural  in  them, 
and  she  adhered  to  the  American  fashions  of 
her  day.  But  in  a  plain  frock  of  dark  satin 
trimmed  with  minever  bands,  she  looked 
exceedingly  noble  and  lovely. 

The  meal  was  a  very  merry  one,  and  after  it 
Lopez  Navarro  joined  the  party  and  they  had 
music  and  dancing,  and  finally  gathered  around 
the  fire  to  hear  the  singing  of  Luis.  He  knew 
a  great  many  of  the  serenades,  and  as  he  sang 
of  the  Virgin  and  the  Babe,  a  sweeter  peace, 
a  more  solemn  joy,  came  to  each  heart.  It 
was  like  bringing  something  of  the  bliss  of 
heaven  into  the  bliss  of  earth.  The  Seftora's 
eyes  were  full  of  tears ;  she  slipped  her  hand 
into  her  husband's  and  looked  at  him  with  a 
face  which  asked,  "  Do  you  not  also  feel  the 
eternity  of  a  true  love  ?  " 

"  How  sweet  and  wild  are  these  serenades, 
Luis  !  "  said  Antonia.  "  I  wonder  who  wrote 
them  ?  " 

*'  But,  then,  they  were  never  written,  my 
sister.  Out  of  the  hearts  of  lonely  shepherds 
they  came ;  or  of  women  spinning  in  their 


A    HAPPY   TRUCE.  243 

quiet  houses  ;  yes,  even  of  soldiers  in  the 
strong  places  keeping  their  watch," 

"  That  is  the  truth,  Luis,"  answered  Isabel. 
"  And  every  Christmas,  when  I  was  in  the 
convent,  the  Sisters  made  a  serenade  to  the 
Virgin,  or  a  seguidilla  to  our  blessed  Lord. 
Very  still  are  the  Sisters,  but  when  it  comes  to 
singing,  I  can  assure  you  the  angels  might 
listen ! " 

"  There  is  a  seguidilla  I  hear  everywhere,'* 
said  the  doctor ;  "  and  I  never  hear  it  without 
feeling  the  better  for  listening.  It  begins — 
'  So  noble  a  Lord.'  ' 

"  That,  indeed  ! "  cried  Luis.  "  Who  knows 
it  not?  It  is  the  seguidilla  to  our  blessed 
Lord,  written  by  the  daughter  of  Lope  de 
Vega — the  holy  Marcela  Carpio.  You  know 
it,  Seftora?" 

"  As  I  know  my  Credo,  Luis." 

"  And  you,  Isabel  ?  " 

"Since  I  was  a  little  one,  as  high  as  my 
father's  knee.  Rachela  taught  it  to  me." 

"  And  you,  Lopez  ?  " 

"  That  is  sure,  Luis." 

"  And  I,  too  !  "  said  Antonia,  smiling.  "  Here 
is  your  mandolin.  Strike  the  chords,  and  we 


244  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

will  all  sing  with  you.  My  father  will  remem 
ber  also."  And  the  doctor  smiled  an  assent, 
as  the  young  man  resigned  Isabel's  hand  with 
a  kiss,  and  swept  the  strings  in  that  sweetness 
and  power  which  flows  invisibly,  but  none  the 
less  surely,  from  the  heart  to  the  instrument. 

"  It  is  to  my  blessed  Lord  and  Redeemer,  I 
sing,"  he  said,  bowing  his  head.  Then  he 
stood  up  and  looked  at  his  companions,  and 
struck  the  key-note,  when  every  one  joined 
their  voices  with  his  in  the  woifierful  little 
hymn: 

So  noble  a  Lord 

None  serves  in  vain  ; 
For  the  pay  of  my  love 

Is  my  love's  sweet  paio, 

In  the  place  of  caresses 

Thou  givest  me  woes  ; 
I  kiss  Thy  hands, 

When  I  feel  their  blows. 

For  in  Thy  chastening, 
Is  joy  and  peace  ; 

0  Master  and  Lord  ! 

Let  thy  blows  not  cease. 

1  die  with  longing 

Thy  face  to  see  ; 
And  sweet  is  the  anguish 
Of  death  to  me. 


A   HAPPY  TRUCE.  245 

For,  because  Thou  lovest  me, 

Lover  of  mine  ! 
Death  can  but  make  me 

Utterly  Thine  ! 

The  doctor  was  the  first  to  speak  after  the 
sweet  triumph  of  the  notes  had  died  away. 
"  Many  a  soul  I  have  seen  pass  whispering 
those  verses,"  he  said ;  "  men  and  women,  and 
little  children." 

"  The  good  Marcela  in  heaven  has  that  for 
her  joy,"  answered  Luis. 

Lopez  rose  while  the  holy  influence  still 
lingered.  He  kissed  the  hands  of  everf  one, 
and  held  the  doctor's  in  his  own  until  they 
reached  the  threshold.  A  more  than  usual 
farewell  took  place  there,  though  there  were 
only  a  few  whispered  words. 

"  Farewell,  Lopez  !     I  can  trust  you  ?  " 

"  Unto  death." 

"  If  we  never  meet  again  ?  " 

"Still  it  will  be  farewell.  Thou  art  in 
God's  care." 

Very  slowly  the  doctor  sauntered  hack  to 
the  parlor,  like  a  man  who  has  a  heavy  duty  to 
do  and  hardly  knows  how  to  begin  it.  "  But 
I  will  tell  Maria  first,"  he  whispered  ;  and  then' 


246  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

he  opened  the  door,  and  saw  the  Sefiora  bid- 
ding  her  children  good-night. 

"  What  a  happy  time  we  have  had  !  "  she 
was  saying.  "  I  shall  never  forget  it.  Indeed, 
my  dears,  you  see  how  satisfactory  it  is  to  be 
religious.  When  we  talk  of  the  saints  and 
angels,  they  come  round  us  to  listen  to  what 
we  say;  accordingly,  we  are  fuH'of  peace  and 
pleasure.  I  know  that  because  I  heard  Fray — 
I  heard  a  very  good  man  say  so."  • 

She  smiled  happily  at  her  husband,  as  she 
took  his  arm,  and  twice,  as  they  went  slowly 
upstairs  together,  she  lifted  her  face  for  his 
kiss.  Her  gentleness  and  affection  made  it 
hard  for  him  to  speak  ;  but  there  were  words 
to  be  said  that  could  be  no  longer  delayed  ; 
and  when  he  had  closed  the  room  door,  he 
took  her  hands  in  his,  and  looked  into  her  face 
with  eyes  that  told  her  all. 

"You  are  going  away,  Roberto,"  she 
whispered. 

"  My  love !  Yes  !  To-night — this  very  hour 
I  must  go!  Luis  and  Dare  also.  Do  not  weep, 
I  entreat  you  !  My  heart  is  heavy,  and  your 
tears  I  cannot  bear." 

Then  she  answered,  with  a  noble  composure : 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  247 

"  I  will  give  you  smiles  and  kisses.  My  good 
Roberto,  so  true  and  kind  !  I  will  try  to  be 
worthy  of  you.  Nay,  but  you  must  not  weep 
—Roberto  !  " 

It  was  true.  Quite  unconsciously  the  troub^ 
led  husband  and  father  was  weeping.  "  I  fear 
to  leave  you,  dear  Maria.  All  is  so  uncertain. 
I  can  only  ask  you  two  favors  ;  if  you  will 
grant  them,  you  will  do  all  that  can  be  done 
to  send  me  away  with  hope.  Will  you  promise 
me  to  have  nothing  to  do  whatever  with  Fray 
Ignatius  ;  and  to  resist  every  attempt  he  may 
make  to  induce  you  to  go  into  a  religious 
house  of  any  kind  ?  " 

"  I  promise  you,  Roberto.  By  my  mother's 
cross,  I  promise  you  !  " 

"  Again,  dear  Maria,  if  you  should  be  in  any 
danger,  promise  me  that  you  will  do  as  Antonia 
and  Lopez  Navarro  think  it  wisest  and  best." 

"  Go  with  God,  my  husband.  Go  with  God, 
in  a  good  hour.  All  you  wish,  I  will  do." 

He  held  her  to  his  heart  and  kissed  her,  and 
she  whispered  amid  hei*  tender  farewells  to 
himself,  messages  to  her  sons — but  especially 
to  Juan.  "Will  you  see  Juan  ?  If  you  do,  tell 
him  I  repent.  I  send  him  a  thousand  bless- 


248  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

ings !  Ah,  the  dear  one  !  Kiss  him  for  me, 
Roberto  !  Tell  him  how  much  I  love  him, 
Roberto  !  How  I  sorrow  because  I  was  cross 
to  him!  My  precious  one!  My  good  son, 
who  always  loved  me  so  dearly  !  " 

At  length  Isabel  came  in  to  weep  in  her 
mother's  arms.  "Luis  is  going  away,"  she 
cried.  The  father  felt  a  momentary  keen 
pang  of  jealousy.  "  I  am  going  also,  queridita," 
he  said  mournfully.  Then  she  threw  her  arms 
around  his  neck  and  bewailed  her  bad  fortune. 
"  If  I  were  the  Almighty  God,  I  would  not 
give  love  and  then  take  it  away,"  she  mur 
mured.  "  I  would  give  orders  that  the  good 
people  should  always  be  happy.  I  would  not 
let  men  like  Santa  Anna  live.  He  is  a  measure 
less  monster,  and  ought  to  go  to  the  d — to 
purgatory,  at  the  very  least." 

While  the  Senora  soothed  her  complaining, 
the  doctor  left.  One  troubled  glance  of  a 
great  love  he  cast  backward  from  the  door  ere 
he  closed  it  behind  him  ;  and  then  his  coun 
tenance  suddenly  changed.  Stern  and  strong 
it  grew,  with  a  glow  of  anger  in  the  steel-blue 
eyes  that  gave  an  entirely  new  character  to  it. 

He  called  Antonia  into  his  study,  and  talked 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  249 

with  her  of  the  crisis  which  was  approaching, 
and  of  the  conduct  of  their  affairs  in  it.  He 
showed  her  the  places  in  which  his  gold  coin 
was  hidden.  He  told  her  on  whom  to  rely  in 
any  emergency. 

"We  have  sure  information  that  General 
Urrea,  with  the  vanguard  of  a  large  Mexican 
army,  will  be  here  next  month.  Santa  Anna 
will  follow  him  quickly.  You  see  that  the 
city  must  either  be  defended  or  our  men  must 
retreat.  I  am  going  to  Houston  with  this 
dilemma.  Luis  and  Dare  will  join  Fannin  at 
Goliad.  Now,  my  dear  child,  you  have  my 
place  to  fill.  If  Santa  Anna  takes  possession 
of  San  Antonio,  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  If  we  are  not  disturbed  in  any  way,  I  will 
keep  very  quiet  within  my  own  home." 

"  If  Fray  Ignatius  attempts  to  interfere  with 
you — what  then  ?  " 

"  I  will  fly  from  him,  and  take  Isabel  and 
mi  madre  with  me." 

"  That  is  your  only  safety.  I  shall  hear  if 
the  Americans  desert  the  city;  then  I  will  send 
your  brother  Thomas,  if  by  any  possibility  it 
can  be  done,  to  guard  you  to  the  eastern  set 
tlements.  But  I  may  not  be  able  to  do  this — • 


25°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

there  may  be  no  time — it  cannot  be  depended 
upon — Lopez  Navarro  will  help  you  all  he  can, 
and  Ortiz.  You  may  always  rely  on  Ortiz." 

"  My  father,  I  cannot  trust  Ortiz.  Every 
man  is  a  master  to  a  peon.  He  would  mean  to 
do  kindly,  but  his  cowardice  might  make  him 
false." 

"  Ortiz  is  no  peon.  He  is  a  Mexican  office* 
of  high  rank,  whom  Santa  Anna  ordered  to  be 
shot.  I  saved  his  life.  He  wears  the  clothes 
of  a  peon — that  is  necessary ;  but  he  has  the 
honor  and  gratitude  of  a  gentleman  beneath 
them.  If  necessary,  trust  Ortiz  fully.  One 
thing  above  all  others  remember — Flight  before 
a  convent." 

"  Flight  !  Yes,  death  before  it !  I  promise 
you,  father.  When  we  meet  again,  you  shall 
say,  well  done,  Antonia.' 

It  was  now  about  midnight.  They  went 
back  to  the  parlor.  Luis  and  Dare  sat  by  the  . 
dying  fire.  They  were  bent  forward,  close  to 
gether  over  it,  talking  in  a  low  voice.  They 
rose  when  the  doctor  spoke,  and  silently  kissed 
Antonia. 

"  It  will  be  a  hard  ride,  now,"  said  the  doctor, 
and  Dare  answered,  mechanically,  "  but  we 


A   HAPPY   TRUCE.  251 

shall  manage  it."  He  held  Antonia's  hand, 
and  she  went  with  them  to  the  rear  of  the 
house.  Their  horses  were  standing  ready  sad- 
died.  Silently  the  men  mounted.  In  a 
moment  they  had  passed  the  gate,  and  the  beat 
of  their  horses'  hoofs  gradually  died  away. 

But  all  through  the  clear  spaces  of  the  sky 
the  Christmas  bells  were  ringing,  and  the 
serenaders  were  musically  telling  each  other, 

"  At  twelve  will  the  Child  be  born  I  * 


CHAPTER  XII. 

DANGER  AND   HELP. 

"  A  curious  creed  they  weave, 

And,  for  the  Church  commands  it* 
All  men  must  needs  believe, 

Though  no  man  understands  it. 
God  loves  his  few  pet  lambs, 

And  saves  his  one  pet  rvat'O™* 
The  rest  he  largely  damns, 

With  swinging  reprobation." 

"  The  Church  may  loose  and  bind  ; 
But  Mind,  immortal  Mind, 
As  free  as  wave  or  wind, 
Came  forth,  O  God,  from  Thee. " 

— BLACKIE. 

DR.  WORTH  had  set  his  daughter  a  task  of 
no   light   magnitude.     It  was   true,  that 
Rachela  and  Fray  Ignatius  could  no  longer  dis 
turb  the  household  by  their  actual  presence, 
but  their  power  to  cause  unhappiness  was  not 
destroyed.     Among  the  Mexican  families  loyal 
to  Santa  Anna  the  dismission  of  the  priest  and 
the  duenna  had  been  a  source  of  much  indig 
nant   gossip ;  for  Rachela   was   one   of  those 
252 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  253 

women  who  cry  out  when  they  are  hurt,  and 
compel  others  to  share  their  trouble.  The 
priest  had  not  therefore  found  it  necessary  to 
explain  why  the  Sefiora  had  called  upon  a  new 
confessor.  He  could  be  silent,  and  possess  his 
dignity  in  uncomplaining  patience,  for  Rachela 
paraded  his  wrongs  as  a  kind  of  set-off  to 
her  own. 

Such  piety  !  Such  virtues  !  And  the  out- 
rageous  conduct  of  the  Seflor  Doctor !  To  be 
sure  there  was  cause  for  anger  at  the  Seftorita 
Antonia.  Oh,  yes  !  She  could  crow  her  mind 
abroad  !  There  were  books — Oh,  infamous 
books  !  Books  not  proper  to  be  read,  and 
the  Sefiorita  had  them  !  Well  then,  if  the 
father  burned  them,  that  was  a  good  deed 
done.  And  he  had  almost  been  reviled  for 
it — sent  out  of  the  house — yes,  it  was  quite 
possible  that  he  had  been  struck  !  Anything 
was  possible  from  those  American  heretics. 
As  for  her  own  treatment,  after  twenty  years 
service,  it  had  been  cruel,  abominable,  more 
than  that — iniquitous  ;  but  about  these  things 
she  had  spoken,  and  the  day  of  atonement 
would  come.  Justice  was  informing  itself  on 
the  whole  matter. 


254  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

Such  conversntions  continually  diversified, 
extended,  repeated  on  all  hands,  quickly 
aroused  a  prejudice  against  the  doctor's  fam 
ily.  Besides  which,  the  Senora  Alveda  re 
sented  bitterly  the  visits  of  her  son  Luis  to 
Isabel.  None  of  the  customs  of  a  Mexican  be 
trothal  had  taken  place,  and  Rachela  did  not 
spare  her  imagination  in  describing  the  scanda 
lous  American  familiarity  that  had  been  per 
mitted.  That  this  familiarity  had  taken  place 
under  the  eyes  of  the  doctor  and  the  Seftora 
only  intensified  the  insult.  She  might  have 
forgiven  clandestine  meetings ;  but  that  the 
formalities  due  to  the  Church  and  herself 
should  have  been  neglected  was  indeed  un 
pardonable. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  Seftora  that 
she  had  lost  the  good-will  of  her  old  friends, 
and  the  respect  that  had  always  been  given  to 
her  social  position.  It  was  difficult  for  her  to 
believe  this,  and  she  only  accepted  the  humil 
iating  fact  after  a  variety  of  those  small  insults 
which  women  reserve  for  their  own  sex. 

She  was  fond  of  visiting ;  she  valued  the 
good  opinion  of  her  caste,  and  in  the  very 
chill  of  the  gravest  calamities  she  worried  her 


DANGER  AND   HELP.  255 

strength  away  over  little  grievances  lying  out 
side  the  walls  of  her  home  and  the  real  af 
fections  of  her  life.  And  perhaps  with  per 
fect  truth  she  asserted  that  she  had  done 
nothing  to  deserve  this  social  ostracism. 
Others  had  made  her  miserable,  but  she 
could  thank  the  saints  none  could  make  her 
guilty. 

The  defeat  of  Cos  had  been  taken  by  the 
loyal  inhabitants  as  a  mere  preliminary  to  the 
real  fight.  They  were  very  little  disturbed  by 
it.  It  was  the  overt  act  which  was  necessary 
to  convince  Mexico  that  her  clemency  to 
Americans  was  a  mistake,  and  that  the  un 
grateful  and  impious  race  must  be  wiped  out 
of  existence.  The  newspapers  not  only  re 
iterated  this  necessity,  but  proclaimed  its 
certainty.  They  heralded  the  coming  of  Santa 
Anna,  the  victorious  avenger,  with  passionate 
gasconading.  It  was  a  mere  question  of  a  few 
days  or  weeks,  and  in  the  meantime  the  people 
of  San  Antonio  were  "making  a  little  profit 
and  pleasure  to  themselves  out  of  the  extrava 
gant  reprobates."  There  was  not  a  day  in 
which  they  did  not  anticipate  their  revenge 
in  local  military  displays,  in  dances  and  illumi« 


256  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

nations,  in  bull-fights,  and  in  splendid  religious 
processions. 

And  Antonia  found  it  impossible  to  combat 
this  influence.  It  was  in  the  house  as  certain 
flavors  were  in  certain  foods,  or  as  heat  was  in 
fire.  She  saw  it  in  the  faces  of  her  servants, 
and  felt  it  in  their  indifference  to  their  duty. 
Every  hour  she  watched  more  anxiously  for 
some  messenger  from  her  father.  And  as  day 
after  day  went  by  in  a  hopeless  sameness  of 
grief,  she  grew  more  restless  under  the  con 
tinual  small  trials  that  encompassed  her. 

Towards  the  end  of  January,  General  Urrea, 
at  the  head  of  the  vanguard  of  the  Mexican 
army,  entered  Texas.  His  destination  was 
La  Bahia  or  Goliad,  a  strong  fortress  gar 
risoned  by  Americans  under  Colonel  Fanning. 
Santa  Anna  was  to  leave  in  eight  days  after 
him.  With  an  army  of  twenty  thousand 
men  he  was  coming  to  the  relief  of  San 
Antonio. 

The  news  filled  the  city  with  the  wildest  re- 
joicing.  The  little  bells  of  the  processions, 
the  big  bells  of  the  churches,  the  firing  of 
cannon,  the  hurrahs  of  the  tumultuous  people, 
made  an  uproar  which  reached  the  three 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  257 

lonely  women  through  the  closed  windows  of 
their  rooms. 

"  If  only  Lopez  Navarro  would  come  !  If 
he  would  send  us  some  little  message !  Holy 
Mary,  even  he  has  forgotten  us!"  cried  the 
Sefiora  in  a  paroxysm  of  upbraiding  sorrow. 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Fray 
Ignatius  passed  the  threshold  with  lifted  hands 
and  a  muttered  blessing.  He  approached  the 
Senora,  and  she  fell  on  her  knees  and  kissed 
the  hand  with  which  he  crossed  her. 

"  Holy  father !  "  she  cried,  "  the  angels  sent 
you  to  a  despairing  woman." 

"  My  daughter,  I  have  guided  you  since 
your  first  communion  ;  how  then  could  I  for 
get  you  ?  Your  husband  has  deserted  you— 
you,  the  helpless,  tender  lamb,  whom  he  swore 
to  cherish ;  but  the  blessed  fold  of  your  church 
stands  open.  Come,  poor  weary  one,  to  its 
shelter." 

"  My  father—" 

"  Listen  to  me  !  The  Mexican  troops  are 
soon  to  arrive.  Vengeance  without  mercy  is 
to  be  dealt  out.  You  are  the  wife  of  an 
American  rebel  ;  I  cannot  promise  you  your 
life,  or  your  honor,  if  you  remain  here.  When 


258  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

soldiers  are  drunk  with  blood,  and  women  fall 
in  their  way,  God  have  mercy  upon  them  !  I 
would  shield  even  your  rebellious  daughter 
Antonia  from  such  a  fate.  I  open  the  doors 
of  the  convent  to  you  all.  There  you  will  find 
safety  and  peace." 

Isabel  sat  with  white,  parted  lips  and  clasped 
hands,  listening.  Antonia  had  not  moved  or 
spoken.  But  with  the  last  words  the  priest 
half-turned  to  her,  and  she  came  swiftly  to  her 
mother's  side,  and  kissing  her,  whispered : 

"  Remember  your  promise  to  my  father ! 
Oh,  mi  madre,  do  not  leave  Isabel  and  me 
alone  ! " 

"You,  too,  dear  ones!  We  will  all  go  to 
gether,  till  these  dreadful  days  are  past." 

"  No,  no,  no !  Isabel  and  I  will  not  go.  We 
will  die  rather." 

"  The  Senorita  talks  like  a  foolish  one. 
Listen  again !  When  Santa  Anna  comes  for 
judgment,  it  will  be  swift  and  terrible.  This 
house  and  estate  will  be  forfeited.  The  faith 
ful  Church  may  hope  righteously  to  obtain  it. 
The  sisters  have  long  needed  a  good  home. 
The  convent  will  then  come  to  you.  You  will 
have  no  shelter  but  the  Church.  Come  to  her 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  259 

arms  ere  her  entreaties  are  turned  to  com 
mands.'* 

"  My  husband  told  me — " 

"  Saints  of  God  !  you  have  no  husband.  He 
has  forfeited  every  right  to  advise  you.  Con 
sider  that,  daughter;  and  if  you  trust  not  my 
advice,  there  is  yet  living  your  honorable  uncle, 
the  Marquis  de  Gonzaga." 

Antonia  caught  eagerly  at  this  suggestion. 
It  at  least  offered  some  delay,  in  which  the 
Sefiora  might  be  strengthened  to  resist  the 
coercion  of  Fray  Ignatius. 

"  Mother,  it  is  a  good  thought.  My  great- 
uncle  will  tell  you  what  to  do  ;  and  my  father 
will  not  blame  you  for  following  his  advice. 
Perhaps  even  he  may  offer  his  home.  You  are 
the  child  of  his  sister." 

Fray  Ignatius  walked  towards  the  fire-place 
and  stood  rubbing  slowly  his  long,  thin  hands 
before  the  blaze,  while  the  Sefiora  and  her 
daughters  discussed  this  proposal.  The  half- 
frantic  mother  was  little  inclined  to  make  any 
further  effort  to  resist  the  determined  will  of 
her  old  confessor;  but  the  tears  of  Isabel  won 
from  her  a  promise  to  see  her  uncle. 

"  Then,  my  daughter,  lose  no  time.     I  cannot 


260  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

promise  you  many  days  in  which  choice  will 
be  left  you.  Go  this  afternoon,  and  to-morrow 
I  will  call  for  your  decision." 

It  was  not  a  visit  that  the  Seilora  liked  to 
make.  She  had  deeply  offended  her  uncle  by 
her  marriage,  and  their  intercourse  had  since 
been  of  the  most  ceremonious  and  infrequent 
kind.  But  surely,  at  this  hour,  when  she  was 
left  without  any  one  to  advise  her  steps,  he 
would  remember  the  tie  of  blood  between 
them. 

He  received  her  with  more  kindness  than 
she  had  anticipated.  His  eyes  glittered  in 
their  deep  sockets  when  she  related  her  ex 
tremity  and  the  priest's  proposal,  and  his  small 
shrunken  body  quivered  with  excitement  as  he 
answered : 

"  Saints  and  angels  !  Fray  Ignatius  is  right 
about  Santa  Anna.  We  shall  see  that  he  will 
make  caps  for  his  soldiers  out  of  the  skins  of 
these  infidel  ingrates.  But  as  for  going  into 
the  convent,  I  know  not.  A  miserable  mar 
riage  you  made  for  yourself,  Maria.  Pardon, 
if  I  say  so  much  !  I  let  the  word  slip  always. 
I  was  never  one  to  bite  my  tongue.  I  am  an 
old  man — very  well,  come  here,  you  and  your 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  261 

daughters,  till  the  days  of  blood  are  over. 
There  is  room  in  the  house,  and  a  few  comforts 
in  it  also.  I  have  some  power  with  Santa 
Anna.  He  is  a  great  man — a  great  man  !  In 
all  his  wars,  good  fortune  flies  before  him." 

He  kissed  her  hands  as  he  opened  the  door, 
and  then  went  back  to  the  fire,  and  bent,  mut 
tering,  over  it :  "  Giver  of  good  !  a  true  Ytur- 
bide  ;  a  gentle  woman  ;  she  is  like  my  sister 
Mercedes — very  like  her.  These  poor  women 
who  trust  me,  as  I  am  a  sinner  before  God,  I 
am  unhappy  to  deceive  them." 

Fray  Ignatius  might  have  divined  his 
thoughts,  for  he  entered  at  the  moment,  and 
said  as  he  approached  him  : 

"You  have  done  right.  The  soul  must  be 
saved,  if  all  is  lost.  This  is  not  a  time  for  the 
friends  of  the  Church  and  of  Mexico  to  waver. 
The  Church  is  insulted  every  day  by  these  for 
eign  heretics — " 

"  But  you  are  mistaken,  father ;  the  Church 
holds  up  her  head,  whatever  happens.  Even 
the  vice-regal  crown  is  not  lost — the  Church 
has  cleft  it  into  mitres." 

Fray  Ignatius  smiled,  but  there  was  a  curi. 
ous  and  crafty  look  of  inquiry  on  his  face. 


262  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  The  city  is  turbulent,  Marquis,  and  there  is 
undoubtedly  a  great  number  of  Mexicans  op 
posed  to  Santa  Anna." 

"  Do  you  not  know  Mexicans  yet?  They 
would  be  opposed  to  God  Almighty,  rather 
than  confess  they  were  well  governed.  Bah  ! 
the  genius  of  Mexico  is  mutiny.  They  scarcely 
want  a  leader  to  move  their  madness.  They 
rebel  on  any  weak  pretence.  They  bluster 
when  they  are  courted  ;  they  crouch  when  they 
are  oppressed.  They  are  fools  to  all  the  world 
but  themselves.  I  beg  the  Almighty  to  con 
sider  in  my  favor,  that  some  over-hasty  angel 
misplaced  my  lot.  I  should  have  been  born 
in — New  York." 

The  priest  knew  that  he  was  talking  for  irri 
tation,  but  he  was  too  politic  to  favor  the 
mood.  He  stood  on  the  hearth  with  his  hands 
folded  behind  him,  and  with  a  delightful  suav 
ity  turned  the  conversation  upon  the  country 
rather  than  the  people.  It  was  a  glorious  day 
in  the  dawn  of  spring.  The  tenderest  greens, 
the  softest  blues,  the  freshest  scents,  the  clear 
est  air,  the  most  delightful  sunshine  were 
everywhere.  The  white  old  town,  with  its 
picturesque  crowds,  its  murmur  of  voices  and 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  263 

laughter,  its  echoes  of  fife  and  drum,  its  loves 
and  its  hatreds,  was  at  his  feet ;  and,  far  off, 
the  hazy  glory  of  the  mountains,  the  greenness 
and  freshness  of  Paradise,  the  peace  and  free 
dom  of  the  vast,  unplanted  places.  The  old 
marquis  was  insensibly  led  to  contemplate  the 
whole  ;  and,  in  so  doing,  to  put  uppermost  that 
pride  of  country  which  was  the  base  of  every 
feeling  susceptible  to  the  priest's  influence. 

"  Such  a  pleasant  city,  Marquis  !  Spanish 
monks  founded  it.  Spanish  and  Mexican  sol 
diers  have  defended  it.  Look  at  its  fine 
churches  and  missions  ;  its  lovely  homes,  and 
blooming  gardens." 

"  It  is  also  all  our  own,  father.  It  was  but 
yesterday  I  said  to  one  of  those  insolent  Amer 
icans  who  was  condescending  to  admire  it : 
'  Very  good,  Sefior  ;  and,  if  you  deign  to  believe 
me,  it  was  not  brought  from  New  York.  Such 
as  you  see  it,  it  was  made  by  ourselves  here  at 
San  Antonio.'  Saints  in  heaven  !  the  fellow 
laughed  in  my  face.  We  were  mutually  con 
vinced  of  each  other's  stupidity." 

"  Ah,  how  they  envy  us  the  country  !  And 
you,  Marquis,  who  have  traveled  over  the 
world,  you  can  imagine  the  reason?" 


264  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Father,  I  will  tell  you  the  reason  ;  it  is  the 
craving  in  the  heart  to  find  again  the  lost 
Eden.  The  Almighty  made  Texas  with  full 
hands.  When  He  sets  his  heart  on  a  man,  he 
is  permitted  to  live  there." 

"  Grace  of  God !  You  speak  the  truth. 
Shall  we  then  give  up  the  gift  of  His  hand  to 
heretics  and  infidels?" 

"  I  cannot  imagine  it." 

"  Then  every  one  must  do  the  work  he  can 
do.  Some  are  to  slay  the  unbelievers ;  others 
are  to  preserve  the  children  of  the  Church. 
Your  niece  and  her  two  daughters  will  be  lost 
to  the  faith,  unless  you  interfere  for  their  sal 
vation.  Of  you  will  their  souls  be  required." 

"  By  Saint  Joseph,  it  is  a  duty  not  in  agree 
ment  with  my  desire !  I,  who  have  carefully 
abstained  from  the  charge  of  a  wife  and  daugh 
ters  of  my  own." 

"  It  is  but  for  a  day  or  two,  Marquis,  until 
the  matter  is  arranged.  The  convent  is  the 
best  of  all  refuges  for  women  so  desolate." 

The  marquis  did  not  answer.  He  lifted  a 
book  and  began  to  read  ;  and  Fray  Ignatius 
watched  him  furtively. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Sefiora  had  reached  her 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  265 

home.  She  was  pleased  with  the  result  of  her 
visit.  A  little  kindness  easily  imposed  upon 
this  childlike  woman,  and  she  trusted  in  any 
one  who  was  pleasant  to  her. 

"  You  may  believe  me,  Antonia,"  she  said ; 
"  my  uncle  was  in  a  temper  most  unusual.  He 
kissed  my  hands.  He  offered  me  his  protec 
tion.  That  is  a  great  thing,  I  assure  you. 
And  your  father  cannot  object  to  our  removal 
there." 

Antonia  knew  not  what  answer  to  make. 
Her  heart  misgave  her.  Why  had  Fray  Ig 
natius  made  the  proposal?  She  was  sure  it 
was  part  of  an  arrangement,  and  not  a  sponta 
neous  suggestion  of  the  moment.  And  she  was 
equally  sure  that  any  preconcerted  plan,  hav 
ing  Fray  Ignatius  for  its  author,  must  be  inimi 
cal  to  them. 

Her  mother's  entry  had  not  awakened  Isabel, 
who  lay  asleep  upon  a  sofa.  The  Seftora  was  a 
little  nettled  at  the  circumstance.  "  She  is  a 
very  child!  A  visit  of  such  importance  !  And 
she  is  off  to  the  land  of  dreams  while  I  am  fatigu 
ing  myself!  I  wish  indeed  that  she  had  more 
consideration  ! "  Then  Antonia  brought  her 
chocolate,  and,  as  she  drank  it  and  smoked  her 


266  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

c'igarito,  she  chatted  in  an  almost  eager  way 
about  the  persons  she  had  seen. 

"  Going  towards  the  Plaza,  I  met  Judge  Val- 
.dez.  I  stopped  the  carnage,  and  sent  my  affec 
tions  to  the  Sefiora.  Would  you  believe  it  ? 
He  answered  me  as  if  his  mouth  were  full  of 
snow.  His  disagreeable  behavior  was  exactly 
copied  by  the  Sefiora  Silvestre  and  her  daugh 
ter  Esperanza.  Dona  Julia  and  Pilar  de  Calval 
did  not  even  perceive  me.  Santa  Maria  !  there 
are  none  so  blind  as  those  who  won't  see  !  Oh, 
indeed  !  I  found  the  journey  like  the  way  of 
salvation — full  of  humiliations.  I  would  have 
stopped  at  the  store  of  the  Jew  Lavenburg, 
and  ordered  many  things,  but  he  turned  in 
when  he  saw  me  coming.  Once,  indeed,  he 
would  have  put  his  hat  on  the  pavement  for  me 
to  tread  upon.  But  he  has  heard  that  your 
father  has  made  a  rebel  of  himself,  and  what 
can  be  expected?  He  knows  when  Santa 
Anna  has  done  with  the  rebels  not  one  of 
them  will  have  anything  left  for  God  to  rain 
upon.  And  there  was  a  great  crowd  and  a 
great  tumult.  I  think  the  whole  city  had  a 
brain  fever." 

At  this  moment  Isabel  began  to  moan  in  her 


DANGER   AND  HELP.  267 

sleep  as  if  her  soul  was  in  some  intolerable 
terror  or  grief;  and  ere  Antonia  could 
reach  her  she  sprang  into  the  middle  of  the 
room  with  a  shriek  that  rang  through  the 
house. 

It  was  some  minutes  before  the  child  could 
be  soothed.  She  lay  in  her  mother's  arms, 
sobbing  in  speechless  distress ;  but  at  length 
she  was  able  to  articulate  her  fright : 

"  Listen,  mi  madre,  and  may  the  Holy  Lady 
make  you  believe  me !  I  have  had  a  dream. 
God  be  blessed  that  it  is  not  yet  true  !  I  will 
tell  you.  It  was  about  Fray  Ignatius  and  our 
uncle  the  Marquis  de  Gonzaga.  My  good 
angel  gave  it  to  me  ;  for  myself  and  you  all  she 
gave  it ;  and,  as  my  blessed  Lord  lives !  I  will 
not  go  to  them!  Si!  I  will  cut  my  white 
throat  first !  "  and  she  drew  her  small  hand 
with  a  passionate  gesture  across  it.  She  had 
stood  up  as  she  began  to  speak,  and  the  action, 
added  to  her  unmistakable  terror,  her  stricken 
face  and  air  of  determination,  was  very  im 
pressive. 

"You  have  had  a  dream,  my  darling?" 

"Yes,  an  awful  dream,  Antonia!  Mary! 
Mary!  Tender  Mary,  pity  us!  " 


268  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  And  you  think  we  should  not  go  to  the 
house  of  the  marquis  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Antonia !  I  have  seen  the  way.  It  is 
black  and  cold,  and  full  of  fear  and  pain.  No 
one  shall  make  me  take  it.  I  have  the  stiletto 
of  my  grandmother  Flores.  I  will  ask  Holy 
Mary  to  pardon  me,  and  then — in  a  moment — 
I  would  be  among  the  people  of  the  other 
world.  That  would  be  far  better  than  Fray 
Ignatius  and  the  house  of  Gonzaga." 

The  Sefiora  was  quite  angry  at  this  fresh 
complication.  It  was  really  incredible  what 
she  had  to  endure.  And  would  Antonia  please 
to  tell  her  where  else  they  were  to  go?  They 
had  not  a  friend  left  in  San  Antonio — they  did 
not  deserve  to  have  one — and  was  it  to  be  sup 
posed  that  a  lady,  born  noble,  could  follow  the 
Americans  in  an  ox-wagon  ?  Antonia  might 
think  it  preferable  to  the  comfortable  house  of 
her  relation ;  but  blessed  be  the  hand  of  God, 
which  had  opened  the  door  of  a  respectable 
shelter  to  her. 

"I  will  go  in  the  ox-wagon,"  said  Isabel, 
with  a  sullen  determination;  "but  I  will  not 
go  into  my  uncle's  house.  By  the  saint  of  my 
birth  I  swear  it." 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  269 

"  Mother,  listen  to  Antonia.  When  one 
door  shuts,  God  opens  another  door.  Our 
own  home  is  yet  undisturbed.  Do  you  believe 
what  Fray  Ignatius  says  of  the  coming  of  Santa 
Anna  ?  I  do  not.  Until  he  arrives  we  are  safe 
in  our  own  home;  and  when  the  hour  for  going 
away  comes,  even  a  little  bird  can  show  us  the 
way  to  take.  And  I  am  certain  that  my  father 
is  planning  for  our  safety.  If  Santa  Anna  was 
in  this  city,  and  behaving  with  the  brutality 
which  is  natural  to  him,  I  would  not  go  away 
until  my  father  sent  the  order.  Do  you  think 
he  forgets  us  ?  Be  not  afraid  of  such  a  thing. 
It  cannot  take  place." 

Towards  dusk  Seftor  Navarro  called,  and 
the  Sefiora  brought  him  into  her  private 
parlor  and  confided  to  him  the  strait  they 
were  in.  He  looked  with  sympathy  into  the 
troubled,  tear-stained  faces  of  these  three 
helpless  women ;  and  listened  with  many  ex 
pressive  gestures  to  the  proposal  of  the  priest 
and  the  offer  of  the  old  marquis. 

"  Most  excellent  ladies,"  he  answered ;  "  it 
is  a  plot.  I  assure  you  that  it  is  a  plot.  Cer- 
tainly  it  was  not  without  reason  I  was  so 
unhappy  about  you  this  afternoon.  Even 


27°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

while  I  was  at  the  bull-fight,  I  think  our  angels 
were  in  a  consultation  about  your  affairs. 
Your  name  was  in  my  ears  above  all  other 
sounds." 

"  You  say  it  is  a  plot,  Seflor.  Explain  to  us 
what  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will  tell  you.  Do  you  know  that 
Fray  Ignatius  is  the  confessor  of  the  mar 
quis  ?  " 

"  We  had  not  thought  of  such  a  thing." 

"  It  is  the  truth.  For  many  years  they  have 
been  close  as  the  skin  and  the  flesh.  Without 
Fray  Ignatius  the  marquis  says  neither  yes  or 
no.  Also  the  will  of  the  marquis  has  been 
lately  made.  I  have  seen  a  copy  of  it.  Every 
thing  he  has  is  left  to  the  brotherhoods  of  the 
Church.  Without  doubt,  Fray  Ignatius  was 
the  lawyer  who  wrote  it." 

"  Sefior,  I  always  believed  that  would  hap 
pen.  At  my  marriage  my  uncle  made  the 
determination.  Indeed,  we  have  never  ex 
pected  a  piastre — no,  not  even  a  tlaco.  And 
to-day  he  was  kind  to  me,  and  offered  me  his 
home.  Oh,  Holy  Mother,  how  wretched  I  am  ! 
Can  I  not  trust  in  the  good  words  of  those  who 
are  of  my  own  family  ?  " 


DANGER   AND  HELP.  271 

"  The  tie  of  race  will  come  before  the  tie  of 
the  family.  The  tie  of  religion  is  strongest  of 
all,  Seflora.  Let  me  tell  you  what  will  take 
place.  When  you  and  your  children  are  in 
the  house  of  the  marquis,  he  will  go  before 
the  Alcalde.  He  will  declare  that  you  have 
gone  voluntarily  to  his  care,  and  that  he  is 
your  nearest  and  most  natural  guardian.  Very 
well.  But  further,  he  will  declare,  on  account 
of  his  great  age,  and  the  troubled  state  of  the 
time,  he  is  unable  to  protect  you,  and  ask  for 
the  authority  to  place  you  in  the  religious  care 
of  the  holy  sisterhood  of  Saint  Maria.  And  he 
will  obtain  all  he  wants." 

"  But,  simply,  what  is  to  be  gained  by  such 
treachery  ?  He  said  to-day  that  I  was  like  his 
sister  Mercedes,  and  he  spoke  very  gently 
to  me." 

"  He  would  not  think  such  a  proceeding  really 
unkind.  He  would  assure  himself  that  it  was 
good  for  your  eternal  salvation.  As  to  the 
reason,  that  is  to  be  looked  for  in  the  purse, 
where  all  reasons  come  from.  This  house, 
which  the  good  doctor  built,  is  the  best  in  the 
city.  It  has  even  two  full  stories.  It  is  very 
suitable  for  a  religious  house.  It  is  not  far 


27 2  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

from  the  Plaza,  yet  secluded  in  its  beautiful 
garden.  Fray  Ignatius  has  long  desired  it. 
When  he  has  removed  you,  possession  will  be 
taken,  and  Santa  Anna  will  confirm  the  pos 
session." 

"  God  succor  our  poor  souls !  What  shall 
we  do  then,  Seftor  ?  The  Mexican  army  has 
entered  Texas,  it  will  soon  be  here." 

"  Quien  sabe  ?  Between  the  Rio  Grande  and 
the  San  Antonio  are  many  difficulties.  Urrea 
has  five  thousand  men  with  him,  horses  and 
artillery.  The  horses  must  graze,  the  men 
must  rest  and  eat.  We  shall  have  heavy  rains. 
I  am  sure  that  it  will  be  twenty  days  ere  he 
reaches  the  settlements ;  and  even  then  his 
destination  is  not  San  Antonio,  it  is  Goliad. 
Santa  Anna  will  be  at  least  ten  days  after  him. 
I  suppose,  then,  that  for  a  whole  month  you 
are  quite  safe  in  your  own  home.  That  is 
what  I  believe  now.  If  I  saw  a  reason  to  be 
lieve  what  is  different,  I  would  inform  you. 
The  good  doctor,  to  whom  I  owe  my  life 
many  times,  has  my  promise.  Lopez  Navarro 
never  broke  his  word  to  any  man.  The  infamy 
would  be  a  thing  impossible,  where  the  safety 
of  three  ladies  is  concerned." 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  273 

"  And  in  a  month,  mi  madre,  what  great 
things  may  happen  !  Thirty  days  of  possibili 
ties!  Come,  now,  let  us  be  a  little  happy,  and 
listen  to  what  the  Sefior  has  to  tell  us.  I  am 
sure  this  house  has  been  as  stupid  as  a  con 
vent  ";  and  Isabel  lifted  the  cigarette  case  of 
the  Seiiora,  and  with  kisses  persuaded  her  to 
accept  its  tranquilizing  consolation. 

It  was  an  elegant  little  golden  trifle  studded 
with  gems.  Her  husband  had  given  it  to  her 
on  the  anniversary  of  their  twenty-fifth  wed 
ding  day  ;  and  it  recalled  vividly  to  her  the 
few  sweet  moments.  She  was  swayed  as  easily 
as  a  child  by  the  nearest  or  strongest  influence, 
and,  after  all,  it  did  seem  the  best  to  take 
Isabel's  advice,  and  be  a  little  happy  while  she 
could. 

Lopez  was  delighted  to  humor  this  mood. 
He  told  them  all  the  news  of  their  own  social 
set ;  and  in  such  vivid  times  something  hap 
pened  every  day.  There  had  been  betrothals 
and  marriages,  quarrels  and  entertainments; 
and  Lopez,  as  a  fashionable  young  man  of 
wealth  and  nobility,  had  taken  his  share  in 
what  had  transpired. 

Antonia  felt   unspeakably  grateful  to  him. 


274  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

After  the  fretful  terror  and  anxiety  of  the  day — 
after  the  cruel  visit  of  Fray  Ignatius — it  was 
indeed  a  comfort  to  hear  the  pleasant  voice  of 
Navarro  in  all  kinds  of  cheerful  modulations. 
By  and  by  there  was  a  slow  rippling  laugh  from 
Isabel,  and  the  Sefiora's  face  lost  its  air  of 
dismal  distraction. 

At  length  Navarro  had  brought  his  narrative 
of  small  events  down  to  the  afternoon  of  that 
day.  There  had  been  a  bull-fight,  and  Isabel 
was  making  him  describe  to  her  the  chulos,  in 
their  pale  satin  breeches  and  silk  waist-scarfs  ; 
the  toreros  in  their  scarlet  mantles,  and  the 
picadores  on  their  horses. 

"  And  I  assure  you,"  he  said,  "  the  company 
of  ladies  was  very  great  and  splendid.  They 
were  in  full  dress,  and  the  golden-pinned 
mantillas  and  the  sea  of  waving  fans  were  a 
sight  indeed.  Oh,  the  fans  alone !  So  many 
colors ;  great  crescents,  growing  and  waning 
with  far  more  enchantments  than  the  moons. 
Their  rustle  and  movement  has  a  wonderful 
charm,  Seflorita  Isabel ;  no  one  can  imagine  it. 

"  Oh,  I  assure  you,  Seflor,  I  can  see  and  feel 
it.  But  to  be  there !  That,  indeed,  would 
make  me  perfectly  happy." 


DANGER  AND   HELP.  275 

"  Had  you  been  there  to-day  you  would 
have  admired,  above  all  things,  the  feat  of  the 
matadore  Jarocho.  It  was  upon  the  great 
bull  Sandoval — a  very  monster,  I  assure  you. 
He  came  bellowing  at  Jarocho,  as  if  he  meant 
his  instant  death.  His  eyeballs  wer,e  living 
fire ;  his  nostrils  steamed  with  fury ;  well,  then, 
at  the  precise  moment,  Jarocho  put  his 
slippered  feet  between  his  horns,  and  vaulted, 
light  as  a  bird  flies,  over  his  back.  Then 
Sandoval  turned  to  him  again.  Well,  he 
calmly  waited  for  his  approach,  and  his  long 
sword  met  him  between  the  horns.  As  lightly 
as  a  lady  touches  her  cavalier,  he  seemed  to 
touch  Sandoval ;  but  the  brute  fell  like  a  stone 
at  his  feet.  What  a  storm  of  vivas!  What 
clapping  of  hands  and  shouts  of  'valiente!' 
And  the  ladies  flung  their  flowers,  and  the  men 
flung  their  hats  into  the  arena,  and  Jarocho 
stepped  proudly  enough  on  them,  I  can  tell 
you,  though  he  was  watching  the  door  for  the 
next  bull." 

11  A^h,  Senor,  why  will  men  fight  each  other, 
when  it  is  so  much  more  grand  and  interesting 
to  fight  bulls?" 

"  Senorita  Isabel,  if  you  could  only  convince 


276  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

them  of  that  !  But  then,  it  is  not  always 
interesting  to  the  matadore  ;  for  instance,  it  is 
only  by  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  skill  of  an 
Americano  that  Jarocho  is  at  this  moment  out 
of  purgatory." 

The  Sefiora  raised  herself  from  among  the 
satin  pillows  of  her  sofa,  and  asked,  excitedly  ; 
"Was  there  then  some  accident,  Seftor?  Is 
Jarocho  wounded?  Poor  Jarocho!  " 

"  Not  a  hair  of  his  head  is  hurt,  Sefiora.  I  will 
tell  you.  Saint  Jago,  who  followed  Sandoval, 
was  a  little  devil.  He  was  light  and  quick,  and 
had  intelligence.  You  could  see  by  the  gleam 
in  his  eyes  that  he  took  in  the  whole  scene, 
and  considered  not  only  the  people  in  the  ring, 
but  the  people  in  the  amphitheatre  also,  to  be 
his  tormentors.  Perhaps  in  that  reflection 
he  was  not  mistaken.  He  meant  mischief 
from  the  beginning ;  and  he  pressed  Jarocho 
so  close  that  he  leaped  the  barrier  for  safety. 
As  he  leaped,  Saint  Jago  leaped  also.  Imagine 
now  the  terror  of  the  spectators !  The  screams ! 
The  rush  !  The  lowered  horns  within  an  inch 
of  Jarocho,  and  Fray  Joseph  Maria  running 
with  the  consecrated  wafer  to  the  doomed 
man !  At  that  precise  moment  there  was  a 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  277 

rifle-shot,  and  the  bellowing  brute  rolled  back- 
ward  into  the  arena — dead." 

"  Oh,  Maria  Purissima !  How  grand !  In 
such  moments  one  really  lives,  Sefior.  And 
but  for  this  absurd  rebellion  I  and  my 
daughters  could  have  had  the  emotion.  It  is 
indeed  cruel." 

"  You  said  the  shot  was  fired  by  an  Amer 
ican  ?  " 

"  Sefiorita  Antonia,  it  was,  indeed.  I  saw 
him.  He  was  in  the  last  row.  He  had  stood  up 
when  Saint  Jago  came  in,  and  he  was  watching 
the  man  and  the  animal  with  his  soul  in  his 
eyes.  He  had  a  face,  fine  and  thin  as  a 
woman's — a  very  gentle  face,  also.  But  at 
one  instant  it  became  stern  and  fierce,  the  lips 
hard  set,  the  eyes  half  shut,  then  the  rifle  at 
the  shoulder  like  a  flash  of  light,  and  the  bull 
was  dead  between  the  beginning  and  the  end 
of  the  leap !  The  sight  was  wonderful,  and  the 
ladies  turned  to  him  with  smiles  and  cries  of 
thankfulness,  and  the  better  part  of  the  men 
bowed  to  him  ;  for  the  Mexican  gentleman  is 
always  just  to  a  great  deed.  But  he  went 
away  as  if  he  had  done  something  that  dis 
pleased  himself,  and  when  I  overtook  him  at 


278  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

the  gates  of  the  Alamo,  he  did  not  look  as  if 
he  wished  to  talk  about  it. 

"  However,  I  could  not  refrain  myself,  and  I 
said  :  '  Permit  me,  Colonel  Crockett,  to  honor 
you.  The  great  feat  of  to-day's  fight  was 
yours.  San  Antonio  owes  you  for  her  favorite 
Jarocho.' 

"  '  I  saved  a  life,  young  man,'  he  answered  ; 
'  and  I  took  a  life  ;  and  I'll  be  blamed  if  I 
know  whether  I  did  right  or  wrong.'  '  Jarocho 
would  have  been  killed  but  for  your  shot.' 
'  That's  so ;  and  I  killed  the  bull  ;  but  you  can 
take  my  hat  if  I  don't  think  I  killed  the  tallest 
brute  of  the  two.  Adjourn  the  subject,  sir'; 
and  with  that  he  walked  off  into  the  fort,  and 
I  did  myself  the  pleasure  of  coming  to  see  you, 
Seftora." 

He  rose  and  bowed  to  the  ladies,  and,  as  the 
Sefiora  was  making  some  polite  answer,  the 
door  of  the  room  opened  quickly,  and  a  man 
entered  and  advanced  towards  her.  Every  eye 
was  turned  on  him,  but  ere  a  word  could  be 
uttered  he  was  kneeling  at  the  Sefiora's  side, 
and  had  taken  her  face  in  his  hands,  and  was 
kissing  it.  In  the  dim  light  she  knew  him  at 
once,  and  she  cried  out :  "  My  Thomas  !  My 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  279 

Thomas !  My  dear  son  !  For  three  years  I 
have  not  seen  you." 

He  brought  into  the  room  with  him  an 
atmosphere  of  comfort  and  strength.  Sud 
denly  all  fear  and  anxiety  was  lifted,  and  in 
Antonia's  heart  the  reaction  was  so  great  that 
she  sank  into  a  chair  and  began  to  cry  like  a 
child.  Her  brother  held  her  in  his  arms  and 
soothed  her  with  the  promise  of  his  presence 
and  help.  Then  he  said,  cheerfully  : 

"  Let  me  have  some  supper,  Antonia.  I  am 
as  hungry  as  a  lobos  wolf ;  and  run  away, 
Isabel,  and  help  your  sister,  for  I  declare 
to  you  girls  I  shall  eat  everything  in  the 
house." 

The  homely  duty  was  precisely  what  was 
needed  to  bring  every  one's  feelings  to  their 
normal  condition ;  and  Thomas  Worth  sat 
chatting  with  his  mother  and  Lopez  of  his 
father,  and  Jack,  and  Dare,  and  Luis,  and  the 
superficial  events  of  the  time,  with  that  pleas 
ant,  matter-of-course  manner  which  is  by  far 
the  most  effectual  soother  of  troubled  and  un 
usual  conditions. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  Antonia  called  her 
brother,  and  he  and  Lopez  entered  the  dining- 


280  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

room  together.  They  came  in  as  brothers 
might  come,  face  answering  face  with  sympa 
thetic  change  and  swiftness ;  but  Antonia 
could  not  but  notice  the  difference  in  the  tw© 
men.  Lopez  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  black  vel 
vet,  trimmed  with  many  small  silver  buttons. 
His  sash  was  of  crimson  silk.  His  linen  was 
richly  embroidered  ;  and  his  wide  hat  was 
almost  covered  with  black  velvet,  and  adorned 
with  silver  tags.  It  was  a  dress  that  set  off 
admirably  his  dark,  intelligent  face. 

Thomas  Worth  wore  the  usual  frontier  cos 
tume  ;  a  dark  flannel  shirt,  a  wide  leather  belt, 
buck-skin  breeches,  and  leather  boots  covering 
his  knees.  He  was  very  like  his  father  in  fig 
ure  and  face — darker,  perhaps,  and  less  hand 
some.  But  the  gentleness  and  strength  of  his 
personal  appearance  attracted  every  one  first, 
and  invested  all  traits  with  their  own  distinc 
tive  charm. 

And,  oh  !  What  a  change  was  there  in  the 
the  Sefiora's  room.  The  poor  lady  cried  a  lit 
tle  for  joy,  and  then  went  to  sleep  like  a  wea 
ried  child.  Isabel  and  Antonia  were  too  happy 
to  sleep.  They  sat  half  through  the  night, 
talking  softly  of  the  danger  they  had  been  in. 


DANGER  AND  HELP.  281 

Now  that  Thomas  had  come,  they  could  say 
had.  For  he  was  a  very  Great-heart  to  them, 
and  they  could,  even  contemplate  the  expected 
visit  of  Frav  Ignatius  without  fear ;  yes.  indeed, 
with  sometning  very  like  satistaction. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  ARRIVAL   OF   SANTA   ANNA. 

lt  What  thing  thou  doest,  bravely  do ; 

When  Heaven's  clear  call  hath  found  thee, 
Follow  —  with  fervid  wheels  pursue, 
Though  thousands  bray  around  thee." 

44  Mounted  upon  a  hot  and  fiery  steed, 
Which  his  aspiring  rider  seemed  to  know  ; 
With  slow  but  stately  pace  kept  on  his  course ; 
You  would  have  thought  the  very  windows  spoke, 
So  many  greedy  looks  of  young  and  old, 
Through  casements  darted  their  desiring  eyes 
Upon  his  visage." 

TEFT  to  themselves,  the  two  men  threw  off 
I  j  like  a  mask  the  aspect  of  cheerfulness 
they  had  worn  in  the  presence  of  the  Seftora. 
Thomas  Worth  ate  heartily,  for  he  had  been 
without  food  since  morning;  but  Navarro  did 
not  attempt  to  join  his  meal.  He  sat  patiently 
waiting,  his  sombre  eyes  fixed  upon  the  men 
tal  visions  which  circled  in  the  enchanted  in 
cense  of  his  cigarette. 

Presently  Thomas  Worth  turned  toward  the 
hearth,  pushed  the  cedar  logs  on  it  to  a  focus?< 
282 


THE  ARRIVAL    OF  SAATTA   ANNA.         283 

and  at  their  leaping  blaze  lighted  the  pipe 
which  he  took  from  his  pocket.  "  Lopez,"  he 
said,  "  it  strikes  me  that  I  am  just  in  time  to 
prevent  some  infamous  plan  of  Fray  Ignatius 
and  my  uncle  Gonzaga." 

"  I  should  not  bave  lost  sight  of  the  Seftora 
and  your  sisters,  I  have  watched  them  faith 
fully,  though  for  many  good  reasons  it  has 
been  best  to  appear  indifferent.  Will  you  now 
remain  in  San  Antonio  ?  " 

"  I  have  come  with  orders  to  Travis  to  blow 
up  the  Alamo,  and  fall  back  upon  Houston, 
who  is  at  Gonzales.  But  I  do  not  think  the 
men  will  permit  him  to  do  so." 

"  You  have  too  many  leaders.  Also,  they 
undervalue  the  Mexican  soldiers.  I  assure  you 
they  do.  They  fought  Spain  for  ten  years ; 
they  do  not  want,  then,  the  persistence  of  true 
valor.  The  Americans  may  die  in  the  Alamo, 
but  they  cannot  hold  it  against  the  thousands 
Santa  Anna  will  bring  with  him." 

"  They  will  die,  then.  They  have  no  thought 
of  retreat,  nor  of  any  deed  that  argues  fear. 
Every  man  relies  on  himself,  as  if  in  his  hand 
the  moment  of  victory  lay." 

"  Every  man  will  perish." 


284  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"They  will  not  perish  in  vain.  Defeat  is 
only  a  spur  to  the  American  soldier.  Every 
one  makes  him  a  better  fighter.  If  Santa  Anna 
massacres  the  men  in  the  Alamo,  he  seals  the 
freedom  of  Texas." 

"  Houston  should  have  come  himself." 

"  Houston  is  biding  his  time.  He  is  doing 
at  present  the  hardest  duty  a  great  man  can 
do :  setting  an  example  of  obedience  to  a 
divided  and  incompetent  government.  Lopez, 
you  said  rightly  that  we  had  too  many  leaders. 
When  those  appointed  for  sacrifice  have  been 
offered  up — when  we  are  in  the  extremity  of 
danger  and  ruin,  then  Houston  will  hear  the 
word  he  is  waiting  for." 

"And  he  will  lead  you  onto  victory.  In 
deed,  I  know  it.  I  have  seen  him.  He  has  the 
line — the  fortunate  line  on  the  forehead.  He 
is  the  loadstone  in  the  breast  of  your  cause  ; 
the  magnet  who  can  draw  good  fortune  to  it. 
If  fate  be  against  you,  he  will  force  fate  to 
change  her  mind.  If  fate  weave  you  a  com 
mon  thread,  he  will  change  it  into  purple.  Vic 
tory,  which  she  gives  to  others  reluctantly, 
he  will  take  like  a  master  from  her  hand ! 
HOUSTON!  What  essence!  What  exist 


THE  ARRIVAL    OF  SANTA   ANNA.         285 

ence !  What  honor !  What  hope  there 
is  in  those  seven  letters.  Consider  this : 
He  will  find  a  way  or  make  a  way  for  free 
dom." 

Subsequent  events  proved  the  opinion  of 
Thomas  Worth  correct  with  regard  to  the  gar 
rison  in  the  Alamo.  David  Crockett !  James 
Bowie !  Barret  Travis !  The  names  were  a 
host  in  themselves ;  one  and  all  refused  to 
couple  them  Avith  retreat. 

"  Military  defeats  may  be  moral  victories, 
young  man,"  said  Crockett  to  Thomas  Worth  ; 
"  and  moral  victories  make  national  greatness. 
The  Roman  that  filled  the  gulf  with  his  own 
body — the  men  who  died  at  Thermopylae — 
they  live  to-day,  and  they  have  been  talking 
with  us." 

"  But  if  you  join  Houston  you  will  save 
many  lives." 

"  That  isn't  always  the  point,  sir.  Jim 
Bowie  was  saying  there  was  once  a  lover  who 
used  to  swim  two  miles  every  night  to  see  a 
young  woman  called  Hero.  Now,  he  might 
have  waited  for  a  boat  and  gone  dry-shod  to 
his  sweetheart ;  but  if  he  had,  who  would  have 
cared  whether  he  lived  or  died  ?  The  Alamo 


286  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

is  our  Hero.  If  we  can't  keep  her,  we  can  die 
for  her." 

The  same  spirit  moved  every  soul  at  Goliad. 
Fanning  was  there  with  nearly  nine  hundred 
men,  and  he  had  named  the  place  Fort  De 
fiance,  and  asserted  his  determination  to  hold 
it.  In  the  mean  time,  Houston  was  using  his 
great  personal  influence  to  collect  troops,  to 
make  treaties  with  the  Indians, -and  to  keep 
together  some  semblance  of  a  provisional 
government. 

But  it  had  become  evident  to  all  the  lead 
ing  spirits  of  the  revolution  that  no  half-way 
measures  would  now  do.  They  only  produced 
half-way  enthusiasm.  For  this  end,  Houston 
spoke  out  with  his  accustomed  boldness : 

"  Gentlemen,  we  must  declare  the  indepen 
dence  of  Texas,  and  like  our  fore-elders,  sink 
or  swim  by  that  declaration.  Nothing  else, 
nothing  less,  can  save  us.  The  planters  of 
Texas  must  feel  that  they  are  fighting  for  their 
own  constitution,  and  not  for  Mexican  prom 
ises  made  to  them  twelve  years  ago  and  never 
yet  kept." 

The  simple  proposition  roused  a  new  en 
thusiasm  ;  Cor  while  Urrea  was  hastening  to- 


THE  ARRIVAL    OF  SANTA    ANNA.         287 

wards  Goliad,  and  Santa  Anna  towards  San 
Antonio,  and  Filisola  to  Washington,  the  di 
vided  people  were  becoming  more  and  more 
embittered.  The  American  soldiers,  who  had 
hitherto  gone  in  and  out  among  the  citizens  of 
San  Antonio  during  the  day,  and  only  slept  in 
the  Alamo,  were  conscious  of  an  ominous 
change  in  the  temper  of  the  city.  They  gath 
ered  their  recruits  together  and  shut  therrv 
selves  in  the  fortress. 

Again  Thomas  Worth  urged  them  to  fall 
back  either  upon  the  line  of  Houston  at 
Gonzales,  or  Fanning  at  Goliad;  but  in  the  in 
decision  and  uncertainty  of  all  official  orders, 
Crockett  thought  it  best  to  make  the  first 
stand  at  the  Mexican  city. 

"  We  can,  at  least,  "  he  said,  "  keep  Santa 
Anna  busy  long  enough  to  give  the  women 
and  children  of  our  own  settlements  time  to 
escape,  and  the  men  time  to  draw  together 
with  a  certain  purpose." 

"  The  cry  of  Santa  Anna  has  been  like  the 
cry  of  wolf  !  wolf !  "  said  Bowie.  "  I  hear  that 
great  numbers  that  were  under  arms  have  gone 
home  to  plant  their  corn  and  cotton.  Do  you 
want  Santa  Anna  to  murder  them  piecemeal — • 


288  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

house  by  house,  family  by  family?  Great 
George  !  Which  of  us  would  accommodate  him 
with  a  prolonged  pleasure  like  that  ?  No  !  he 
shall  have  a  square  fight  for  every  life  he  gets  "; 
and  the  calm,  gentlemanly  Bowie  was  sudden 
ly  transformed  into  a  flashing,  vehement,  fu 
rious  avenger.  He  laid  his  knife  and  pistols  on 
the  table,  his  steel-blue  eyes  scintillated  as  if 
they  were  lightning  ;  his  handsome  mouth,  his 
long,  white  hands,  his  whole  person  radiated 
wrath  and  expressed  the  utmost  lengths  of  in 
vincible  courage  and  insatiable  hatred. 

"  Gentlemen,"  answered  Travis,  "  I  go  with 
Crockett  and  Bowie.  If  we  hold  the  Alamo, 
it  is  a  deed  well  done.  If  we  fall  with  it,  it  is 
still  a  deed  well  done.  We  shall  have  given  to 
Houston  and  Fanning  time  to  interpose  them 
selves  between  Santa  Anna  and  the  settle 
ments." 

"  We  have  none  of  us  lived  very  well,"  said 
Bowie,  "  but  we  can  die  well.  I  say  as  an 
American,  that  Texas  is  ours  by  right  of 
natural  locality,  and  by  right  of  treaty ;  and, 
as  I  live,  I  will  do  my  best  to  make  it  Ameri 
can  by  right  of  conquest !  Comrades,  I  do  not 
want  a  prettier  quarrel  to  die  in  " — and  looking 


THE  ARRIVAL   OF  SANTA   ANNA.        289 

with  a  brave,  unflinching  gaze  around  the 
grim  fortress — "  I  do  not  want  a  better  monu 
ment  than  the  Alamo !  " 

The  speech  was  not  answered  with  any 
noisy  hurrahing;  but  the  men  around  the  bare, 
long  table  clasped  hands  across  it,  and  from 
that  last  interview  with  the  doomed  men 
Thomas  Worth  came  away  with  the  knowl 
edge  that  he  had  seen  the  battle  begun.  He 
felt  now  that  there  was  no  time  to  delay  longer 
his  plans  for  the  safety  of  his  mother  and 
sisters.  These  were,  indeed,  of  the  simplest 
and  most  uncertain  character ;  for  the  con 
dition  of  the  country  and  its  few  resources 
were  such  as  to  make  flight  the  only  way  that 
promised  safety.  And  yet  flight  was  environed 
with  dangers  of  every  kind — hunger,  thirst, 
exhaustion,  savage  beasts,  Indians,  and  the 
triple  armies  of  Mexico. 

The  day  after  his  arrival  he  had  begun  to 
prepare,  as  far  as  possible,  for  this  last  emer 
gency,  but  the  Sefiora's  unconquerable  aversion 
to  leave  her  native  city  had  constantly  ham 
pered  him.  Until  Santa  Anna  really  appeared 
she  would  not  believe  in  the  necessity  of  such 
a  movement.  The  proposal  of  Fray  Ignatius, 


29°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

even  if  it  did  end  in  a  convent,  did  not  seem 
so  terrible  as  to  be  a  wanderer  without  a  roof 
to  cover  her.  She  felt  aggrieved  and  injured 
by  Antonia's  and  Isabel's  positive  refusal  to 
accept  sanctuary  from  the  priest,  and  with  the 
underhand  cunning  of  a  weak  woman  she  had 
contrived  to  let  Fray  Ignatius  know  that  she 
was  not  to  blame  for  the  refusal. 

All  the  same  the  priest  hated  her  in  conjunc 
tion  with  her  children.  On  the  morning  after 
her  interview  with  her  uncle,  he  went  to  receive 
her  submission  ;  for  the  marquis  had  informed 
him  of  all  that  had  passed,  and  he  felt  the  three 
women  and  the  valuable  Worth  property 
already  under  his  hard  hand.  He  opened  the 
gate  with  the  air  of  a  proprietor.  He  looked 
down  the  lovely  alleys  of  the  garden,  and  up 
at  the  latticed  stones  of  the  handsome  house, 
with  that  solid  satisfaction  which  is  the  reward 
of  what  is  acquired  by  personal  effort  or 
wisdom. 

When  he  entered  the  door  and  was  con 
fronted  by  Thomas  Worth,  he  was  for  the 
moment  nonplussed.  But  he  did  not  permit 
his  confusion  and  disappointment  to  appear. 
He  had  not  seen  Thomas  for  a  long  time.  He 


THE  ARRIVAL   OF  SANTA   ANNA.         291 

addressed  him  with  suavity  and  regrets,  and 
yet,  "  was  sure  he  would  be  glad  to  hear  that, 
in  the  present  dangerous  crisis,  the  Marquis  de 
Gonzaga  had  remembered  the  blood-tie  and 
offered  his  protection  to  a  family  so  desolate." 

Thomas  Worth  leaned  upon  the  balusters,  as 
if  guarding  the  approach  to  the  Sefiora's  apart 
ments.  He  answered  :  "  The  protection  of  the 
marquis  is  unnecessary.  Three  ladies  are  too 
great  a  charge  for  one  so  aged.  We  will  not 
impose  it."  The  face  of  the  young  man  was 
calm  and  stern,  but  he  spoke  without  visible 
temper,  until  the  priest  prepared  to  pass  him. 
Then  he  stretched  out  his  arm  as  a  barrier. 

"  Fray  Ignatius,  you  have  already  passed 
beyond  the  threshold  ;  permit  me  to  remind 
you  of  Dr.  Worth's  words  o'n  that  subject." 

"  I  put  my  duty  before  any  man's  words." 

"  Sir,  for  my  mother's  sake,  I  would  not  be 
disrespectful ;  but  I  assure  you,  also,  that  I  will 
not  permit  any  man,  while  I  live,  to  disregard 
my  father's  orders  regarding  his  own  house« 
hold." 

"  I  must  see  the  Seftara." 

"  That,  I  reply,  is  impossible." 

"Presume  not — dare  not   to  interfere  with  a 


292  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

priest  in  the  duty  of  his  office.  It  is  a  mortal 
sin.  The  curse  of  the  Church  will  rest  upon 
you." 

"  The  curse  of  the  Church  will  not  trouble 
me.  But  to  treat  my  father's  known  wishes 
with  contempt — that  is  an  act  of  dishonor  and 
disobedience  which  I  will  not  be  guilty  of." 

"  Santa  Maria  !  Suffer  not  my  spirit  to  be 
moved  by  this  wicked  one.  Out  of  my  path, 
Satanas!  " 

The  last  word  was  not  one  which  Thomas 
Worth  had  expected.  He  flushed  crimson  at 
its  application,  and  with  a  few  muttered  sen 
tences,  intelligible  only  to  the  priest,  he  took 
him  firmly  by  the  shoulder,  led  him  outside  the 
door,  and  closed  and  barred  it. 

The  expulsion  was  not  accomplished  without 
noisy  opposition  on  the  part  of  Fray  Ignatius, 
and  it  pained  Thomas  deeply  to  hear,  in  the 
midst  of  the  priest's  anathemas,  the  shrill  cries 
of  his  mother's  distress  and  disapproval. 

The  next  domestic  movement  of  Thomas 
Worth  was  to  rid  the  house  of  Molly  and 
Manuel,  and  the  inferior  servants.  It  was  not 
as  easy  a  task  as  may  be  supposed.  They  had 
been  ordered  by  Fray  Ignatius  to  remain,  and 


THE  ARRIVAL    OF  SANTA   ANNA.         293 

the  order  had  not  been  countermanded.  Even 
if  the  Sefiora  and  her  daughters  were  going 
east,  and  their  services  were  not  needed,  they 
had  no  objections  to  remain  in. the  Worth 
house.  They  understood  that  the  Church 
would  take  possession,  and  the  housekeeping 
of  the  Church  was  notoriously  easy  and 
luxurious. 

However,  after  exorbitant  compensation  had 
been  made,  and  Molly  had  given  in  return  "  a 
bit  of  her  mind,"  she  left  for  the  Irish  colony 
of  San  Patricio,  and  Manuel  immediately 
sought  his  favorite  monte  table.  When  he  had 
doubled  his  money,  he  intended  to  obey 
Molly's  emphatic  orders,  and  go  and  tell  the 
priest  all  about  it. 

"  I  would  rather  face  a  battery  of  cannon 
than  Fray  Ignatius  and  the  servants  again, 
Antonia."  Antonia  looked  at  her  brother  ;  he 
was  worried  and  weary,  and  his  first  action,  when 
he  had  finally  cleared  the  house,  was  to  walk 
around  it,  and  bolt  every  door  and  window. 
Antonia  followed  him  silently.  She  perceived 
that  the  crisis  had  come,  and  she  was  doing  as 
good  women  in  extremity  do — trying  to  find 
in  the  darkness  the  hand  always  stretched  out 


294  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

to  guide  and  strengthen.  As  yet  she  had  not 
been  able  to  grasp  it.  She  followed  her 
brother  like  one  in  a  troubled  dream,  whisper 
ing  faintly,  with  white  lips,  "  O  God,  where 
art  Thou  ?  Help  and  pity  us  !  " 

Thomas  led  her  finally  to  his  father's  office. 
He  went  to  a  closet  filled  with  drugs,  removed 
them,  and  then  a  certain  pressure  of  his  hand 
caused  the  back  of  the  closet  to  disappear  in  a 
groove,  and  a  receptacle  full  of  coin  and  papers 
was  disclosed. 

"  We  must  take  with  us  all  the  coin  we  can 
carry.  What  you  are  not  likely  to  require,  is 
to  go  to  the  men  in  the  field.  Then,  hide  in 
its  place  the  old  silver,  and  the  laces,  and  the 
jewels,  which  came  with  the  Flores  from  Cas 
tile  ;  and  any  other  papers  and  valuables,  which 
you  received  from  our  father.  I  think  even 
Fray  Ignatius  will  not  discover  them  here." 

"  Is  there  any  special  need  to  hurry  to-day?" 

"  Santa  Anna  is  within  forty-eight  hours  of 
San  Antonio.  He  may  force  a  march,  and  be 
here  earlier.  Travis  cold  me  last  night  that 
their  advance  scouts  had  come  in  with  this 
intelligence.  To-day  they  will  gather  every 
man  they  can,  and  prepare  to  defend  them- 


THE   ARRIVAL   OF  SANTA   ANNA.        295 

selves  in  the  Alamo.  As  soon  as  Santa  Anna 
arrives,  we  are  in  danger.  I  must  leave  here 
to-night.  I  must  either  take  you  with  me  or 
remove  you  to  a  place  of  more  safety." 

11  Let  us  go  with  you." 

"  If  my  mother  is  willing." 

"  If  she  is  not,  what  then  ?  " 

"  Lopez  has  prepared  for  that  emergency. 
He  has  an  empty  house  three  miles  west  of 
San  Antonio.  He  has  had  it  completely 
victualled.  I  will  take  you  there  after  dark  in 
the  large  green  chariot.  Ortiz  will  drive  the 
light  Jersey  wagon  on  the  Gonzales  road.  When 
inquiry  is  made,  the  Jersey  wagon  will  have 
attracted  the  attention  of  every  Mexican,  and 
Fray  Ignatius  will  receive  positive  assurances 
that  you  were  in  it  and  are  beyond  his  power. 
And  certainly,  without  definite  intelligence,  he 
would  never  suspect  you  of  being  anywhere  on 
the  highway  to  Mexico." 

"  Shall  we  be  quite  alone?  " 

"  For  two  or  three  days  you  will  be  quite 
alone.  Ortiz  will,  however,  return  with  the 
wagon  by  a  circuitous  route ;  for,  sooner  or 
later,  you  are  sure  to  need  it.  Fear  not  to  trust 
him.  Only  in  one  respect  will  you  need  to 


296  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

supplement  his  advice  by  your  own  intelli 
gence  :  he  is  so  eager  to  fight  Santa  Anna,  he 
may  persuade  himself  and  you  that  it  is  neces 
sary  to  fly  eastward  when  it  is  not.  In  all 
other  points  you  may  be  guided  by  him,  and 
his  disguise  as  a  peon  is  so  perfect  that  it  will 
be  easy  for  him  to  gather  in  the  pulquerias  all 
the  information  requisite  for  your  direction.  I 
have  been  out  to  the  house,  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  Lopez  has  considered  everything  for 
your  comfort." 

"  However,  I  would  rather  go  with  you, 
Thomas." 

"  It  must  be  as  mother  desires." 

When  the  circumstances  were  explained  to 
the  Seftora,  she  was  at  first  very  determined  to 
accept  neither  alternative.  "  She  would  re 
main  where  she  was.  She  was  a  Flores  and  a 
Gonzaga.  Santa  Anna  knew  better  than  to 
molest  her.  She  would  rather  trust  to  him 
than  to  those  dreadful  Americans."  Reminded 
of  Fray  Ignatius,  she  shed  a  few  tears  over  the 
poor  padrecito,  and  assured  her  children  they 
had  made  a  mistake  regarding  him,  which 
neither  oil  nor  ointment,  nor  wit  nor  wisdom, 
could  get  over. 


77//<;   JA'AY/V//,    (>/<•   SAiVTA    A  MX  A.         »97 

It  was  almost  impossible  to  induce  her  to 
come  to  a  decision  of  any  kind  ;  and  only  when 
she  saw  Antonia  and  Isabel  were  dressed 
for  a  journey,  and  that  Thomas  had  locked 
up  all  the  rooms  and  was  extinguishing 
the  fires,  could  she  bring  herself  to  belirv 
that  the  trial  so  long  anticipated  had  really 
come. 

"  My  dearest  mother  !  My  own  life  and  the 
lives  of  many  others  may  now  hang  upon  a 
few  moments.  I  can  remain  here  no  longer. 
Where  shall  I  take  you  to  ?  " 

"  I  will  not  leave  my  home." 

"  Santa  Anna  is  almost  here.  As  soon  as 
he  arrives,  I'Yay  Ignatius  and  twelve  of  the 
Bernardino  monks  are  coming  here.  I  was 
told  that  yesterday." 

"  Then  I  will  go  to  the  convent.  I  and  my 
daughters." 

"  No,  mother ;  if  you  go  to  the  convent, 
Antonia  and  Isabel  must  go  with  me." 

She  prayed,  and  exclaimed,  and  appealed  to 
saints  and  angels,  and  to  the  holy  Virgin,  until 
Isabel  was  hysterically  weeping,  Antonia  nt 
a  mental  tension  almost  unendurable,  ami 
Thomas  on  the  verge  of  one  of  those  terrifying 


298  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

passions  that  mark  the  extremity  of  habitually 
gentle,  patient  men. 

"  My  God,  mother!"  he  exclaimed  with  a 
stamp  of  his  spurred  boot  on  the  stone  floor  ; 
"  if  you  will  go  to  the  devil — to  the  priests,  I 
mean — you  must  go  alone.  Kiss  your  mother 
farewell,  girls.  I  have  not  another  moment  to 
wait." 

Then,  in  a  passion  of  angry  sobs  and  re 
proaches,  she  decided  to  go  with  her  daugh 
ters,  and  no  saint  ever  suffered  with  a  more 
firm  conviction  of  their  martyrdom  to  duty 
than  did  this  poor  foolish,  affectionate  slave  to 
her  emotions  and  her  superstitions.  But  when 
Thomas  had  gone,  and  nothing  was  to  be 
gained  by  a  display  of  her  sufferings,  she  per 
mitted  herself  to  be  interested  in  their  hiding- 
place,  and  after  Antonia  had  given  her  a  cup 
of  chocolate,  and  Isabel  had  petted  and 
soothed  her,  she  began  gradually  to  allow  them 
to  explain  their  situation,  and  even  to  feel 
some  interest  in  its  discussion. 

They  sat  in  the  charmful,  dusky  glimmer  of 
starlight,  for  candles  and  fire  were  forbidden 
luxuries.  Fortunately,  the  weather  was  warm 
and  sunny,  and  for  making  chocolate  and  such 


THE  ARRIVAL   OF  SANTA   ANNA.         299 

simple  cookery,  Lopez  had  provided  a  spirit 
lamp.  The  Senora  was  as  pleased  as  a  child 
with  this  arrangement.  She  had  never  seen 
anything  like  it  before.  She  even  imagined 
the  food  cooked  upon  it  had  some  rare  and 
unusual  flavor.  She  was  quite  proud  when  she 
had  learned  its  mysteries,  and  quite  sure  that 
chocolate  she  made  upon  it  was  chocolate  of 
a  most  superior  kind. 

The  house  had  been  empty  for  two  years, 
and  the  great  point  was  to  preserve  its  air 
of  desolation.  No  outside  arrangement  was 
touched ;  the  torn  remnants  of  some  balcony 
hangings  were  left  fluttering  in  the  wind  ;  the 
closed  windows  and  the  closed  doors,  the  ab 
sence  of  smoke  from  the  chimneys  and  of  lights 
from  the  windows,  preserved  the  air  of  empti 
ness  and  loneliness  that  the  passers-by  had 
been  accustomed  to  see.  And,  as  it  was  on 
the  highway  into  the  city,  there  were  great 
numbers  of  passers:  mule-trains  going  to  Mex 
ico  and  Sonora  ;  cavaliers  and  pedestrians ; 
splendidly-dressed  nobles  and  officials,  dusty 
peons  bringing  in  wood ;  ranchmen,  peddlers, 
and  the  whole  long  list  of  a  great  city's  pur- 
veyors  and  servants. 


300  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

But  though  some  of  the  blinds  were  half- 
closed,  much  could  be  seen  ;  and  Isabel  also 
often  took  cushions  upon  the  flat  roof,  and  ly 
ing  down,  watched,  from  between  the  pilasters 
of  the  balustrade  surrounding  it,  the  moving 
panorama. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  what  the 
Seftora  called  their  imprisonment,  they  went 
to  the  roof  to  sit  in  the  clear  sunshine  and  the 
fresh  wind.  They  were  weary  and  depressed 
with  the  loneliness  and  uncertainty  of  their 
position,  and  were  almost  longing  for  some 
thing  to  happen  that  would  push  forward  the 
lagging  wheels  of  destiny. 

A  long  fanfare  of  trumpets,  a  roll  of  drums, 
a  stirring  march  of  warlike  melody,  startled 
them  out  of  the  lethargic  tedium  of  exhausted 
hopes  and  fears.  "It  is  Santa  Anna!"  said 
Antonia ;  and  though  they  durst  not  stand  up, 
they  drew  closer  to  the  balustrade  and  watched 
for  the  approaching  army.  Is  there  any 
woman  who  can  resist  that  nameless  emotion 
which  both  fires  and  rends  the  heart  in  the 
presence  of  great  military  movements  ?  An 
tonia  was  still  and  speechless,  and  white 
as  death.  Isabel  watched  with  gleaming 


THE  ARRIVAL   OF  SAJVTA   ANNA.        301 

eyes  and  set  lips.  The  Seftora's  excitement 
was  unmistakably  that  of  exultant  national 
pride. 

Santa  Anna  and  his  staff-officers  were  in 
front.  They  passed  too  rapidly  for  individual 
notice,  but  it  was  a  grand  moving  picture  of 
handsome  men  in  scarlet  and  gold — of  grace 
ful  mangas  and  waving  plumes,  and  bright- 
colored  velvet  capes  ;  of  high-mettled  horses, 
and  richly-adorned  Mexican  saddles,  aqueras 
of  black  fur,  and  silver  stirrups  ;  of  thousands 
of  common  soldiers,  in  a  fine  uniform  of  red 
and  blue ;  with  antique  brazen  helmets  gleam 
ing  in  the  sun,  and  long  lances,  adorned  with 
tri-colored  streamers.  They  went  past  like  a 
vivid,  wonderful  dream — like  the  vision  of  an 
army  of  mediaeval  knights. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  tumult  of  the  advanc 
ing  army  was  increased  tenfold  by  the  clamor 
of  the  city  pouring  out  to  meet  it.  The  clash 
ing  bells  from  the  steeples,  the  shouting  of  the 
populace,  the  blare  of  trumpets  and  roll  of 
drums,  the  lines  of  churchmen  and  officials  in 
their  grandest  dresses,  of  citizens  of  every  age, 
—the  indescribable  human  murmur — alto 
gether  it  was  a  scene  whose  sensuous  splendor 


302  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

obliterated  for  a  time  the  capacity  of  impres 
sionable  natures  to  judge  rightly. 

But  Antonia  saw  beyond  all  this  brave  show 
the  ridges  of  red  war,  and  a  noble  perversity  of 
soul  made  her  turn  her  senses  inward.  Then 
Jier  eyes  grew  dim,  and  her  heart  rose  in  pity 
ing  prayer  for  that  small  band  of  heroes  stand 
ing  together  for  life  and  liberty  in  the  grim 
Alamo.  No  pomp  of  war  was  theirs.  They 
were  isolated  from  all  their  fellows.  They 
were  surrounded  by  their  enemies.  No  word 
-of  sympathy  could  reach  them.  Yet  she 
knew  they  would  stand  like  lions  at  bay;  that 
they  would  give  life  to  its  last  drop  for  liber 
ty  ;  and  rather  than  be  less  than  freemen,  they 
would  prefer  not  to  be  at  all. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    FALL    OF    THE    ALAMO. 

•"The  combat  deepens.     On,  ye  brave) 
Who  rush  to  glory  or  the  grave." 

"  To  all  the  sensual  world  proclaim  : 
One  crowded  hour  of  glorious  life 
Is  worth  an  age  without  a  name." 

"  Gashed  with  honorable  scars, 
Low  in  Glory's  lap  they  lie ; 
Though  they  fell,  they  fell  like  stars, 
Streaming  splendor  through  the  sky." 

F I^HE  passing-by  of  Santa  Anna  and  the 
Mexican  army,  though  it  had  been 
hourly  expected  for  nearly  three  days,  was  an 
event  which  threw  the  Senora  and  her  daugh 
ters  into  various  conditions  of  mental  excite 
ment.  They  descended  from  the  roof  to  the 
Senora's  room,  where  they  could  move  about 
and  converse  with  more  freedom.  For  the 
poor  lady  was  quite  unable  to  control  her 
speech  and  actions,  and  was  also  much  irri 
tated  by  Antonia's  more  composed  manner. 
She  thought  it  was  want  of  sympathy, 
303 


304  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

11  How  can  you  take  things  with  such  a 
blessed  calmness,"  she  asked,  angrily.  "  But  it 
is  the  way  of  the  Americans,  no  doubt,  who 
must  have  everything  for  prudence.  Sensible  ! 
Sensible  !  Sensible  !  that  is  the  tune  they  are 
forever  playing,  and  you  dance  to  it  like  a 
miracle." 

"  My  dear  mother,  can  we  do  any  good  by 
exclaiming  and  weeping  ?  " 

"  Holy  Virgin  !  Perhaps  not ;  but  to  have  a 
little  human  nature  is  more  agreeable  to  those 
who  are  yet  on  the  earth  side  of  purgatory." 

"  Mi  madre,"  said  Isabel,  "  Antonia  is  out 
good  angel.  She  thinks  for  us,  and  plans  for 
us,  and  even  now  has  everything  ready  for  us 
to  move  at  a  moment's  notice.  Our  good 
angels  have  to  be  sensible  and  prudent, 
madre." 

"  To  move  at  a  moment's  notice  !  Virgin 
of  Guadalupe  !  where  shall  we  go  to?  Could 
my  blessed  father  and  mother  see  me  in  this 
prison,  this  very  vault,  I  assure  you  they  would 
be  unhappy  even  among  the  angels." 

"  Mother,  there  are  hundreds  of  women  to 
day  in  Texas  who  would  think  this  house  a 
palace  of  comfort  and  safety." 


THE  FALL   OF   THE  ALAMO.  305 

"  Saints  and  angels  !  Is  that  my  fault  ? 
Does  it  make  my  condition  more  endurable  ? 
Ah,  my  children,  I  have  seen  great  armies 
come  into  San  Antonio,  and  always  before  I 
have  been  able  to  make  a  little  pleasure  to 
myself  out  of  the  event.  For  the  Mexicans  are 
not  blood-thirsty,  though  they  are  very  war 
like.  When  Bravo  was  here,  what  balls,  what 
bull-fights,  what  visiting  among  the  ladies ! 
Indeed  there  was  so  much  to  tell,  the  tertulia 
was  as  necessary  as  the  dinner.  To  be  sure, 
the  Mexicans  are  not  barbarians  ;  they  made 
a  war  that  had  some  refinement.  But  the 
Americans !  They  are  savages.  With  them 
it  is  fight,  fight,  fight,  and  if  we  tiy  to  be 
agreeable,  as  we  were  to  that  outrageous  Sam 
Houston,  they  say  thank  you,  madam,  and  go 
on  thinking  their  own  cruel  thoughts.  I  won 
der  the  gentle  God  permits  that  such  men 
live." 

'•  Dear  mother,  refinement  in  war  is  not  pos 
sible.  Nothing  can  make  it  otherwise  than 
brutal  and  bloody." 

"  Antonia,  allow  that  I,  who  am  your 
mother,  should  know  what  I  have  simply  seen 
with  my  eyes.  Salcedo,  Bravo,  Martinez, 


306  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

Urrea — are  they  not  great  soldiers?  Very  well, 
then,  I  say  they  brought  some  pleasure  with 
their  armies;  and  you  will  see  that  Santa  Anna 
will  do  the  same.  If  we  were  only  in  our  own 
home !  It  must  have  been  the  devil  who 
made  us  leave  it." 

"  How  truly  splendid  the  officers  looked, 
mi  madre.  I  dare  say  Senora  Valdez  will 
entertain  them." 

"  That  is  certain.  And  as  for  Dorette  Val 
dez — the  coquette — it  will  certainly  be  a  great 
happiness  to  her." 

Isabel  sighed,  and  the  Senora  felt  a  kind 
of  satisfaction  in  the  sigh.  It  was  unendur 
able  to  be  alone  in  her  regrets  and  her  long 
ings. 

"  Yes,"  she  continued,  "  every  night  Senora 
Trespalacios  will  give  a  tertulia,  and  the  officers 
will  have  military  balls — the  brave  young  men  ; 
they  will  be  so  gay,  so  charming,  so  devoted, 
and  in  a  few  hours,  perhaps,  they  will  go 
into  the  other  world  by  the  road  of  the  battle 
field.  Ah,  how  pitiful !  How  interesting  !  Can 
not  you  imagine  it  ?  " 

Isabel  sighed  again,  but  the  sigh  was  for  the 
gay,  the  charming  Luis  Alveda.  And  when  she 


THE  FALL    OF   THE  ALAMO.  307 

thought  of  him,  she  forgot  in  a  moment  to  envy 
Dorette  Valdez,  or  the  seftoritas  of  the  noble 
house  of  Trespalacios.  And  some  sudden, 
swift  touch  of  sympathy,  strong  as  it  was  oc 
cult,  made  the  Seftora  at  the  same  moment  re 
member  her  husband  and  her  sons.  A  real 
sorrow  and  a  real  anxiety  drove  out  all  smaller 
annoyances.  Then  both  her  daughters  wept 
together,  until  their  community  of  grief  had 
brought  to  each  heart  the  solemn  strength  of  a 
divine  hope  and  reliance. 

"  My  children,  I  will  go  now  and  pray,"  said 
the  sorrowful  wife  and  mother.  "  At  the  foot 
of  the  cross  I  will  wait  for  the  hour  of  deliver* 
ance  ";  and  casting  herself  on  her  knees,  with 
her  crucifix  in  her  hand,  she  appeared  in  a 
moment  to  have  forgotten  everything  but  her 
anguish  and  her  sins,  and  the  Lamb  of  God 
upon  whom,  with  childlike  faith,  she  was  en 
deavoring  to  cast  them.  Her  tears  dropped 
upon  the  ivory  image  of  the  Crucified,  and 
sympathetic  tears  sprung  into  Antonia's  and 
Isabel's  eyes,  as  they  listened  to  her  implora- 
tion. 

That  night,  when  all  was  dark  and  still,  Ortiz 
returned  with  the  wagon.  In  the  morning  An- 


30 8  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

tonia  went  to  speak  to  him.  He  looked  worn- 
out  and  sorrowful,  and  she  feared  to  ask  him 
for  news.  "  There  is  food  in  the  house,  and  I 
have  made  you  chocolate,"  she  said,  as  she 
pitifully  scanned  the  man's  exhausted  con 
dition. 

"  The  Sefiorita  is  kind  as  the  angels.  I  will 
eat  and  drink  at  her  order.  I  am,  indeed,  faint 
and  hungry." 

She  brought  him  to  the  table,  and  when  he 
refused  to  sit  in  her  presence,  she  said  frankly, 
"  Captain  Ortiz,  you  are  our  friend  and  not 
our  servant.  Rest  and  refresh  yourself." 

He  bent  upon  one  knee  and  kissed  the  hand 
she  offered,  and  without  further  remonstrance 
obeyed  her  desire.  Isabel  came  in  shortly,  and 
with  the  tact  of  true  kindness  she  made  no 
remark,  but  simply  took  the  chair  beside  Ortiz, 
and  said,  in  her  usual  voice  and  manner: 
"Good  morning,  Captain.  We  are  glad  to  see 
you.  Did  you  meet  my  brother  Thomas 
again?" 

"  Sefiorita,  God  be  with  you  !  I  have  not 
seen  him.  I  was  at  Goliad." 

"Then  you  would  see  our  brother  Juan?" 

"  Si.     The  Sefior  Juan  is  in  good  health  and 


THE  FALL    OF    THE  ALAMO.  3°9 

great  happiness.  He  sent  by  my  willing  hands 
a  letter." 

"  Perhaps  also  you  saw  his  friend,  Seftor 
Grant?" 

"  From  him,  also,  I  received  a  letter.  Into 
your  gracious  care,  Senorita,  I  deliver  them." 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  kindness,  Captain. 
Tell  us  now  of  the  fortress.  Are  the  troops  in 
good  spirits  ?  " 

"  Allow  me  to  fear  that  they  are  in  too  good 
assurance  of  success.  The  most  of  the  men 
are  very  young.  They  have  not  yet  met  our 
Lady  of  Sorrows.  They  have  promised  to 
themselves  the  independence  of  Texas.  They 
will  also  conquer  Mexico.  There  are  kingdoms 
in  the  moon  for  them  I  envy  such  exalt 
ations — and  regret  them.  Grace  of  God,  Senor 
ita  !  My  heart  ached  to  see  the  crowds  of 
bright  young  faces.  With  a  Napoleon — with  a 
Washington  to  lead  them — they  would  do 
miracles." 

"What  say  you  to  Houston?" 

"  I  know  him  not.  At  Goliad  they  are  all 
Houstons.  They  believe  each  man  in  himself. 
On  the  contrary,  I  wish  that  each  man  looked 
""^  the  same  leader." 


310  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

"Do  you  know  that  Santa  Anna  is  in  San 
Antonio?" 

"  I  felt  it,  though  I  had  no  certain  news.  I 
came  far  around,  and  hid  myself  from  all  pass 
ers-by,  for  the  sake  of  the  wagon  and  the  horses. 
I  have  the  happiness  to  say  they  are  safe.  The 
wagon  is  within  the  enclosure,  the  horses  are 
on  the  prairie.  They  have  been  well  trained, 
and  will  come  to  my  call.  As  for  me,  I  will 
now  go  into  the  city,  for  there  will  be  much  to 
see  and  to  hear  that  may  be  important  to  us. 
Sefioritas,  for  all  your  desires,  I  am  at  your 
service."  • 

When  Ortiz  was  gone,  Isabel  had  a  little  fret 
of  disappointment.  Luis  might  have  found 
some  messenger  to  bring  her  a  word  of  his  love 
and  life.  What  was  love  worth  that  did  not 
annihilate  impossibilities!  However,  it  con 
soled  her  a  little  to  carry  Jack's  letter  to  his 
mother.  The  Senora  had  taken  her  morning 
chocolate  and  fallen  asleep.  When  Isabel 
awakened  her,  she  opened  her  eyes  with  a  sigh, 
and  a  look  of  hopeless  misery.  These  pallid  de 
pressions  attacked  her  most  cruelly  in  the  morn 
ing,  when  the  room,  shabby  and  unfamiliar, 
gave  both  her  memory  and  anticipation  a  shock. 


THE  FALL    OF    THE  ALAMO.  311 

But  the  sight  of  the  letter  flushed  her  face 
with  expectation.  She  took  it  with  smiles. 
She  covered  it  with  kisses.  When  she  opened 
it,  a  curl  from  Jack's  head  fell  on  to  her  lap. 
She  pressed  it  to  her  heart,  and  then  rose  and 
laid  it  at  the  feet  of  her  Madonna.  "  She  must 
share  my  joy,"  she  said  with  a  pathetic  child 
ishness  ;  "she  will  understand  it."  Then,  with 
her  arm  around  Isabel,  and  the  girl's  head  on 
his  shoulder,  they  read  together  Jack's  loving 
words : 

"  Mi  madre,  mi  madre,  you  have  Juan's 
heart  in  your  heart.  Believe  me,  that  in  all 
this  trouble  I  sorrow  only  for  you.  When 
victory  is  won  I  shall  fly  to  you.  Other  young 
men  have  other  loves ;  I  have  only  you,  sweet 
mother.  There  is  always  the  cry  in  my  heart 
for  the  kiss  I  missed  when  I  left  you.  If  I 
could  hold  your  hand  to-night,  if  I  could  hear 
your  voice,  if  I  could  lay  my  head  on  your 
breast,  I  would  say  that  the  Holy  One  had 
given  me  the  best  blessings  He  had  in  heaven. 
Send  to  me  a  letter,  madre — a  letter  full  of 
love  and  kisses.  Forgive  Juan !  Think  of 
this  only  :  he  is  my  boy  !  If  I  live,  it  is  for 
you,  who  are  the  loveliest  and  dearest  of 


312  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

mothers.  If  I  die,  I  shall  die  with  your  name 
on  my  lips.  I  embrace  you  with  my  soul.  I 
kiss  your  hands,  and  remember  how  often  they 
have  clasped  mine.  I  kiss  your  eyes,  your 
cheeks,  your  dear  lips.  Mi  madre,  remember 
me  !  In  your  prayers,  remember  Juan  !  " 

With  what  tears  and  sobs  was  this  loving 
letter  read  by  all  the  women  ;  and  the  Seftora 
finally  laid  it  where  she  had  laid  the  precious 
curl  that  had  come  with  it.  She  wanted  "  the 
Woman  blessed  among  women  "  to  share  the 
mother  joy  and  the  mother  anguish  in  her 
heart.  Besides,  she  was  a  little  nervous  about 
Jack's  memento  of  himself.  Her  superstitious 
lore  taught  her  that  severed  hair  is  a  token  of 
severed  love.  She  wished  he  had  not  sent  it, 
and  yet  she  could  not  bear  to  have  it  out  of 
her  sight. 

"  Gracias  a  Dios  !  "  she  kept  ejaculating.  "  I 
kave  one  child  that  loves  me,  and  me  only.  I 
shall  forgive  Juan  everything.  I  shall  not 
forgive  Thomas  many  things.  But  Juan  !  oh! 
it  is  impossible  not  to  love  him  entirely.  There 
is  no  one  like  him  in  the  world.  If  the  good 
God  will  only  give  him  back  to  me,  I  will  say 
a  prayer  of  thanks  every  day  of  my  life 


THE  FALL    OF    THE  ALAMO.  313 

long.      Oh,    Juan!  Juan!  my   boy!    my   dear 
one  ! " 

Thus  she  talked  to  herself  and  her  daughters 
continually.  She  wrote  a  letter  full  of  motherly 
affection  and  loving  incoherencies ;  and  if  Jack 
had  ever  received  it  he  would  doubtless  have 
understood  and  kissed  every  word,  and  worn 
the  white  messenger  close  to  his  heart.  But 
between  writing  letters  and  sending  them, 
there  were  in  those  days  intervals  full  of  im 
possibilities.  Love  then  had  to  be  taken  on 
trust.  Rarely,  indeed,  could  it  send  assurances 
of  fidelity  and  affection. 

Jack's  letter  brightened  the  day,  and  formed 
a  new  topic  of  conversation,  until  Ortiz  re 
turned  in  the  evening.  His  disguise  had  en 
abled  him  to  linger  about  the  Plaza  and  monte 
table,  and  to  hear  and  observe  all  that  was 
going  on. 

"  The  city  is  enjoying  itself,  and  making 
money,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  question  from  the 
Seftora.  "  Certainly  the  San  Antonians  ap 
prove  of  liberty,  but  what  would  you  do  ?  In 
Rome  one  does  not  quarrel  with  the  Pope  ;  in 
San  Antonio  one  must  approve  of  despotism, 
when  Santa  Anna  parades  himself  there." 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Has  he  made  any  preparations  for  attack 
ing  the  Alamo  ?  Will  the  Americans  resist 
him?" 

"  Seftorita  Antonia,  he  is  erecting  a  battery 
on  the  river  bank,  three  hundred  yards  from 
the  Alamo.  This  morning,  ere  the  ground  was 
touched,  he  reviewed  his  men  in  the  Plaza. 
He  stood  on  an  elevation  at  the  church  door, 
surrounded  by  his  officers  and  the  priests,  and 
unfurled  the  Mexican  flag." 

"  That  was  about  eleven  o'clock,  Captain  ?  " 
"  Si,  Senorita.     You  are  precisely  exact." 
"  I  heard  at  that  hour  a  dull  roar  of  human 
voices — a  roar  like  nothing  on  earth  but  the 
distant  roar  of  the  ocean." 

*'  To  be  sure  ;  it  was  the  shouting  of  the 
people.  When  all  was  still,  Fray  Ignatius 
blessed  the  flag,  and  sprinkled  over  it  holy 
water.  Then  Santa  Anna  raised  it  to  his  lips 
and  kissed  it.  Holy  Maria !  another  shout. 
Then  he  crossed  his  sword  upon  the  flag,  and 
cried  out — "  Soldados  !  you  are  here  to  defend 
this  banner,  which  is  the  emblem  of  your  holy 
faith  and  of  your  native  land,  against  heretics, 
infidels  and  ungrateful  traitors.  Do  you  swear 
to  do  it  ?  And  the  whole  army  answered  '  Si ! 


THE  FALL   OF    THE  ALAMO.  315 

si !  juramos  ! '  (yes,  we  swear.)  Again  he  kissed 
the  flag,  and  laid  his  sword  across  it,  and,  to  be 
sure,  then  another  shout.  It  was  a  very  clever 
thing,  I  assure  you,  Sefiora,  and  it  sent  every 
soldier  to  the  battery  with  a  great  heart." 

The  Seftora's  easily  touched  feelings  were  all 
on  fire  at  the  description.  "  I  wish  I  could  have 
seen  the  blessing  of  the  banner,"  she  said  ;  "  it 
is  a  ceremony  to  fill  the  soul.  I  have  always 
wept  at  it.  Mark,  Antonia !  This  confirms 
what  I  assured  you  of — the  Mexicans  make  war 
with  a  religious  feeling  and  a  true  refinement. 
And  pray,  Captain  Ortiz,  how  will  the  Ameri 
cans  oppose  these  magnificent  soldiers,  full  of 
piety  and  patriotism  ?  " 

"  They  have  the  Alamo,  and  one  hundred 
and  eighty-three  men  in  it." 

"  And  four  thousand  men  against  them  ?  " 

"  Si.  May  the  Virgin  de  los  Remedies  *  be 
their  help !  An  urgent  appeal  for  assistance 
was  sent  to  Fanning  at  Goliad.  Seftor  Navarro 
took  it  on  a  horse  fleet  as  the  wind.  You  will 
see  that  on  the  third  day  he  will  be  smoking 
in  his  balcony,  in  the  way  which  is  usual  to 
him." 

*  The  Virgin  appealed  to  in  military  straits. 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Will  Fanning  answer  the  appeal  ?  " 
"  If   the    answer    be    permitted    him.     But 
Urrea  may  prevent.     Also  other  things." 

Santa  Anna  entered  San  Antonio  on  Tues 
day  the  twenty-third  of  February,  1836,  and  by 
the  twenty-seventh  the  siege  had  become  a 
very  close  one.  Entrenched  encampments  en 
circled  the  doomed  men  in  the  Alamo,  and 
from  dawn  to  sunset  the  bombardment  went 
on.  The  tumult  of  the  fight — the  hurrying  in 
and  out  of  the  city — the  clashing  of  church 
bells  between  the  booming  of  cannon — these 
things  the  Senora  and  her  daughters  could 
hear  and  see ;  but  all  else  was  for  twelve  days 
mere  surmise.  But  only  one  surmise  was 
possible,  when  it  was  known  that  the  little 
band  of  defiant  heroes  were  fighting  twenty 
times  their  own  number — that  no  help  could 
come  to  them — that  the  Mexicans  were  cut 
ting  off  their  water,  and  that  their  provisions 
were  getting  very  low.  The  face  of  Ortiz 
grew  constantly  more  gloomy,  and  yet  there 
was  something  of  triumph  in  his  tone  as  he 
told  the  miserably  anxious  women  with  what 
desperate  valor  the  Americans  were  fighting ; 
and  how  fatallv  every  one  of  their  shots  told. 


THE  FALL   OF    THE  ALAMO.  317 

On  Saturday  night,  the  fifth  of  March,  he 
called  Antonia  aside,  and  said,  "  My  Sefiorita, 
you  have  a  great  heart,  and  so  I  speak  to  you. 
The  end  is  close.  To-day  the  Mexicans  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  a  large  cannon  within  gun 
shot  of  the  Alamo,  just  where  it  is  weakest. 
Sefior  Captain  Crockett  has  stood  on  the  roof 
all  day,  and  as  the  gunners  have  advanced  to 
fire  it  he  has  shot  them  down.  A  group  of 
Americans  were  around  him ;  they  loaded 
rifles  and  passed  them  to  him  quickly  as  he 
could  fire  them.  Santa  Anna  was  in  a  fury 
past  believing.  He  swore  then  '  by  every  saint 
in  heaven  or  hell  '  to  enter  the  Alamo  to-mor 
row.  Sefior  Navarro  says  he  is  raging  like  a 
tiger,  and  that  none  of  his  officers  dare  ap 
proach  him.  The  Sefior  bade  me  tell  you  that 
to-morrow  night  he  will  be  here  to  escort  you 
to  Gonzales  ;  for  no  American  will  his  fury 
spare  ;  he  knows  neither  sex  nor  age  in  his 
passions.  And  when  the  Alamo  falls,  the 
soldiers  will  spread  themselves  around  for 
plunder,  or  shelter,  and  this  empty  house  is 
sure  to  attract  them.  The  Sefiorita  sees  with 
her  own  intelligence  how  things  must  take 
place." 


318  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  I  understand,  Captain.  Will  you  go  with 
us?" 

"I  will  have  the  Jersey  wagon  ready  at  mid 
night.  I  know  the  horses.  Before  sun-up  we 
shall  have  made  many  miles." 

That  night  as  Antonia  and  her  sister  sat  in 
the  dark  together,  Antonia  said  :  "  Isabel,  to 
morrow  the  Alamo  will  fall.  There  is  no  hope 
for  the  poor,  brave  souls  there.  Then  Santa 
Anna  will  kill  every  American." 

"  Oh,  dear  Antonia,  what  is  to  become  of  us  ? 
We  shall  have  no  home,  nothing  to  eat,  no 
where  to  sleep.  I  think  we  shall  die.  Also, 
there  is  mi  madre.  How  I  do  pity  her  !  " 

"  She  is  to  be  your  care,  Isabel.  I  shall  rely 
on  you  to  comfort  and  manage  her.  I  will 
attend  to  all  else.  We  are  going  to  our  father, 
and  Thomas — and  Luis." 

"  Yes,  and  after  all  I  am  very  tired  of  this 
dreadful  life.  It  is  a  kind  of  convent.  One  is 
buried  alive  here,  and  still  not  safe.  Do  you 
really  imagine  that  Luis  is  with  my  father  and 
Thomas?" 

"  I  feel  sure  of  it." 

"  What  a  great  enjoyment  it  will  be  for  me 
to  see  him  again  !  " 


THE  FALL   OF    THE  ALAMO.  319 

"  And  how  delighted  he  will  be  !  And  as  it 
is  necessary  that  we  go,  Isabel,  we  must  make 
the  best  of  the  necessity.  Try  and  get  mi 
madre  to  feel  this." 

"  I  can  do  that  with  a  few  words,  and  tears, 
and  kisses.  Mi  madre  is  like  one's  good  an 
gel — very  easy  to  persuade." 

"  And  now  we  must  try  and  sleep,  queridita." 

"  Are  you  sure  there  is  no  danger  to-night, 
Antonia  ?  " 

"  Not  to-night.  Say  your  prayer,  and  sleep 
in  God's  presence.  There  is  yet  nothing  to 
fear.  Ortiz  and  Lopez  Navarro  are  watching 
every  movement." 

But  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
quiet  of  their  rest  was  broken  by  sharp  bugle 
calls.  The  stars  were  yet  in  the  sky,  and  all 
was  so  still  that  they  thrilled  the  air  like  some 
thing  unearthly.  Antonia  started  up,  and  ran 
to  the  roof.  Bugle  was  answering  bugle  ;  and 
their  tones  were  imperative  and  cruel,  as  if  they 
were  blown  by  evil  spirits.  It  was  impossible 
to  avoid  the  feeling  that  the  call  was  a  predes 
tined  summons,  full  of  the  notes  of  calamity. 
She  was  weighed  down  by  this  sorrowful  pre 
sentiment,  because,  as  yet,  neither  experience 


3 20  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

nor  years  had  taught  her  that  predestined  ills 
are  never  lost. 

The  unseen  moving  multitudes  troubled  the 
atmosphere  between  them.  In  wild,  savage 
gusts,  she  heard  the  military  bands  playing  the 
infamous  Dequelo,  whose  notes  of  blood  and 
fire  commingled,  shrieked  in  every  ear — "  No 
Quarter  !  No  Quarter  !  "  A  prolonged  shout, 
the  booming  of  cannon,  an  awful  murmurous 
tumult,  a  sense  of  horror,  of  crash  and  conflict, 
answered  the  merciless,  frenzied  notes,  and 
drowned  them  in  the  shrieks  and  curses  they 
called  for. 

It  was  yet  scarcely  dawn.  Her  soul,  moved 
by  influences  so  various  and  so  awtul,  became 
almost  rebellious.  Why  did  God  permit  such 
cruelties?  Did  He  know?  Would  He  allow  a 
handful  of  men  to  be  overpowered  by  num 
bers?  Being  omnipotent,  would  He  not  in 
some  way,  at  least,  make  the  fight  equal  ?  The 
instinct  of  her  anglo-American  nature  revolted 
at  the  unfairness  of  the  struggle.  Even  her 
ejaculations  to  heaven  were  in  this  spirit.  "  It 
is  so  unjust,"  she  murmured  ;  "  surely  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  will  prevent  a  fight  which  must 
be  a  massacre." 


THE   FALL   OF   THE  ALAMO.  321 

As  she  went  about  the  simple  preparations 
for  their  breakfast,  she  wept  continuously — 
tears  of  indignation  and  sorrow — tears  coming 
from  the  strength  of  feeling,  rather  than  its 
weakness.  The  Seftora  could  eat  nothing. 
Isabel  was  white  with  terror.  They  wandered 
from  window  to  window  in  the  last  extremity 
of  anxiety. 

About  seven  o'clock  they  saw  Ortiz  pass  the 
house.  There  were  so  many  people  on  the 
road  he  could  not  find  an  opportunity  to  enter 
for  some  time.  He  had  been  in  the  city  all 
night.  He  had  watched  the  movement  of  the 
troops  in  the  starlight.  As  he  drank  a  cup  of 
chocolate,  he  said  : 

"  It  was  just  three  o'clock,  Seftorita,  when 
the  Matamoras  battalion  was  moved  forward. 
General  Cos  supported  it  with  two  thousand 
men." 

"  But  General  Cos  was  paroled  by  these  same 
Americans  who  are  now  in  the  Alamo;  and 
his  life  was  spared  on  condition  that  he  would 
not  bear  arms  against  them  again." 

"  It  is  but  one  lie,  one  infamy  more.  When 
I  left  the  city,  about  four  thousand  men  were 
attacking  the  Alamo.  The  infantry,  in  col- 


322  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

umns,  were  driven  up  to  the  walls  by  the  cav 
alry  which  surrounded  them." 

"  The  Americans  !  Is  there  any  hope  for 
them?" 

"  The  mercy  of  God  remains,  Seftori^a.  That 
is  all.  The  Alamo  is  not  as  the  everlasting 
hills.  What  men  have  made,  men  can  also 
destroy.  Sefior  Navarro  is  in  the  church, 
praying  for  the  souls  that  are  passing  every 
moment." 

"  He  ought  to  have  been  fighting.  To  help 
the  living  is  better  than  to  pray  for  the  dead." 

"  Permit  me  to  assure  you,  Seftorita  Antonia, 
that  no  man  has  done  more  for  the  living.  In 
time  of  war,  there  must  be  many  kinds  of 
soldiers.  Sefior  Navarro  has  given  nearly  all 
that  he  possesses  for  the  hope  of  freedom.  He 
has  done  secret  service  of  incalculable  value." 

"  Secret  service  !  I  prefer  those  who  have 
the  courage  of  their  convictions,  and  who 
stand  by  them  publicly." 

"  This  is  to  be  considered,  Seflorita ;  the  man 
who  can  be  silent  can  also  speak  when  the 
day  for  speaking  arrives."  No  one  opposed 
this  statement.  It  did  not  seem  worth  while 
to  discuss  opinions,  while  the  terrible  >  facts 


THE  FALL   OF    THE  ALAMO.  323 

of  the  position  were  appealing  to  every 
sense. 

As  the  day  went  on,  the  conflict  evidently 
became  closer  and  fiercer.  Ortiz  went  back  to 
the  city,  and  the  three  lonely  women  knelt 
upon  the  house-top,  listening  in  terror  to  the 
tumult  of  the  battle.  About  noon  the  firing 
ceased,  and  an  awful  silence — a  silence  that 
made  the  ears  ache  to  be  relieved  of  it — 
followed. 

"All  is  over!"  moaned  Antonia,  and  she 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  sobbed 
bitterly.  Isabel  had  already  exhausted  tears. 
The  Sefiora,  with  her  crucifix  in  her  hand,  was 
praying  for  the  poor  unfortunates  dying  with 
out  prayer. 

During  the  afternoon,  smoke  and  flame,  and 
strange  and  sickening  odors  were  blown  north 
ward  of  the  city,  and  for  some  time  it  seemed 
probable  that  a  great  conflagration  would 
follow  the  battle.  How  they  longed  for  some 
one  to  come !  The  utmost  of  their  calamity 
would  be  better  than  the  intolerable  suspense. 
But  hour  after  hour  went  past,  and  not  even 
Ortiz  arrived.  They  began  to  fear  that  both 
he  and  Navarro  had  been  discovered  in  some 


324  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

disloyalty  and  slain,  and  Antonia  was  heart-sick 
when  she  considered  the  helplessness  of  their 
situation. 

Still,  in  accordance  with  Navarro's  instruc 
tions,  they  dressed  for  the  contemplated 
journey,  and  sat  in  the  dark,  anxiously 
listening  for  footsteps.  About  eleven  o'clock 
Navarro  and  Ortiz  came  together.  Ortiz  went 
for  the  horses,  and  Navarro  sat  down  beside 
the  Senora.  She  asked  him,  in  a  low  voice, 
what  had  taken  place,  and  he  answered : 

"  Everything  dreadful,  everything  cruel,  and 
monstrous,  and  inhuman  !  Among  the  angels 
in  heaven  there  is  sorrow  and  anger  this 
night."  His  voice  had  in  it  all  the  pathos  of 
tears,  but  tears  mingled  with  a  burning  indig^ 
nation. 

"  The  Alamo  has  fallen  !  " 

"  Senorita  Antonia,  I  would  give  my  soul  to 
undo  this  day's  work.  It  is  a  disgrace  to 
Mexico  which  centuries  cannot  wipe  out." 

"  The  Americans  ?  " 

"  Are  all  with  the  Merciful  One," 

"  Not  one  saved  ?  " 

"Not  one." 

"  Impossible !  " 


THE   FALL    OF   THE  ALAMO.  325 

"  I  will  tell  you.  It  is  right  to  tell  the  whole 
world  such  an  infamy.  If  I  had  little  children  I 
would  take  them  on  my  knee  and  teach  them 
the  story.  I  heard  it  from  the  lips  of  one  wet- 
shod  with  their  blood,  dripping  crimson  from 
the  battle — my  own  cousin,  Xavier.  He  was 
with  General  Castrillon's  division.  They 
began  their  attack  at  four  in  the  morning,  and 
after  two  hours'  desperate  fighting  succeeded 
in  reaching  a  courtyard  of  the  Alamo. 

"  They  found  the  windows  and  doors  barri 
caded  with  bags  of  earth.  Behind  these  the 
Americans  fought  hand  to  hand  with  despairing 
valor.  Ramires,  Siesma  and  Batres  led  the 
columns,  and  Santa  Anna  gave  the  signal  of 
battle  from  a  battery  near  the  bridge.  When 
the  second  charge  was  driven  back,  he  became 
furious.  He  put  himself  in  front  of  the  men, 
and  with  shouts  and  oaths  led  them  to  the 
third  charge.  Xavier  said  that  he  inspired 
them  with  his  own  frenzy.  They  reached  the 
foot  of  the  wall,  and  the  ladders  were  placed 
in  position.  The  officers  fell  to  the  rear  and 
forced  the  men  to  ascend  them.  As  they 
reached  the  top  they  were  stabbed,  and  the 
ladders  overturned.  Over  and  over,  and  over 


326  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

again  these  attempts  were  made,  until  the 
garrison  in  the  Alamo  were  exhausted  with 
the  struggle." 

Navarro  paused  a  few  minutes,  overpowered 
by  his  emotions.  No  one  spoke.  He  could 
see  Antonia's  face,  white  as  a  spirit's,  in  the 
dim  light,  and  he  knew  that  Isabel  was  weep 
ing  and  that  the  Senora  had  taken  his  hand. 

"  At  last,  at  the  hour  of  ten,  the  outer  wall 
was  gained.  Then,  room  by  room  was  taken 
with  slaughter  incredible.  There  were  fourteen 
Americans  in  the  hospital.  They  fired  their 
rifles  and  pistols  from  their  pallets  with  such 
deadly  aim  that  Milagros  turned  a  cannon 
shotted  with  grape  and  canister  upon  them. 
They  were  blown  to  pieces,  but  at  the  entrance 
of  the  door  they  left  forty  dead  Mexicans." 

"Ah  Senor,  Senor!  tell  me  no  more.  My 
heart  can  not  endure  it." 

"  Mi  madre,"  answered  Isabel,  "  we  must 
hear  it  all.  Without  it,  one  cannot  learn  to 
hate  Santa  Anna  sufficiently";  and  her  small, 
white  teeth  snapped  savagely,  as  she  touched 
the  hand  of  Lopez  with  an  imperative 
"  Proceed." 

"  Colonel  Bowie  was  helpless  in  bed.     Two 


THE  FALL    OF   THE  ALAMO.  $27 

Mexican  officers  fired  at  him,  and  one  ran  for 
ward  to  stab  him  ere  he  died.  The  dying  man 
caught  his  murderer  by  the  hair  of  his  head, 
and  plunged  his  knife  into  his  heart.  They 
went  to  judgment  at  the  same  moment." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it !  Glad  of  it  !  The  Ameri 
can  would  say  to  the  Almighty  :  '  Thou  gavest 
me  life,  and  thou  gavest  me  freedom  ;  freedom, 
that  is  the  nobler  gift  of  the  two.  This 
man  robbed  me  of  both.'  And  God  is  just. 
The  Judge  of  the  whole  earth  will  do  right." 

"  At  noon,  only  six  of  the  one  hundred 
and  eighty-three  were  left  alive.  They  were 
surrounded  by  Castrillon  and  his  soldiers. 
Xavier  says  his  general  was  penetrated  with 
admiration  for  these  heroes.  He  spoke 
sympathizingly  to  Crockett,  who  stood  in 
an  angle  of  the  fort,  with  his  shattered  rifle 
in  his  right  hand,  and  his  massive  knife,  drip 
ping  with  blood,  in  his  left.  His  face  was 
gashed,  his  white  hair  crimson  with  blood  ;  but 
a  score  of  Mexicans,  dead  and  dying,  were 
around  him.  At  his  side  was  Travis,  but  so 
exhausted  that  he  was  scarcely  alive. 

"  Castrillon  could  not  kill  these  heroes.  He 
asked  their  lives  of  Santa  Anna,  who  stood 


328  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

with  a  scowling,  savage  face  in  this  last  citadel 
of  his  foes.  For  answer,  he  turned  to  the  men 
around  him,  and  said,  with  a  malignant  empha 
sis:  'Fire!'  It  was  the  last  volley.  Of  the 
defenders  of  the  Alamo,  not  one  is  left." 

A  solemn  silence  followed.  For  a  few  min 
utes  it  was  painful  in  its  intensity.  Isabel 
broke  it.  She  spoke  in  a  whisper,  but  her 
voice  was  full  of  intense  feeling.  "  I  wish  in 
deed  the  whole  city  had  been  burnt  up.  There 
was  a  fire  this  afternoon  ;  I  would  be  glad  if  it 
were  burning  yet." 

"May  God  pardon  us  all,  Seftorita  !  That 
was  a  fire  which  does  not  go  out.  It  will  burn 
for  ages.  I  will  explain  myself.  Santa  Anna 
had  the  dead  Americans  put  into  ox-wagons, 
and  carried  to  an  open  field  outside  the  city. 
There  they  were  burnt  to  ashes.  The  glori 
ous  pile  was  still  casting  lurid  flashes  and  shad 
ows  as  I  passed  it." 

"  I  will  hear  no  more  !  I  will  hear  no  more  !" 
cried  the  Seftora.  "  And  I  will  go  away  from 
here.  Ah,  Sen" or,  why  do  you  not  make  haste? 
In  a  few  hours  we  shall  have  daylight  again.  I 
am  in  a  terror.  Where  is  Ortiz  ?  " 

"  The  horses  are  not  caught  in  a  five  minutes, 


THE   FALL   OF    THE  ALAMO.  329 

Senora.  But  listen,  there  is  the  roll  of  the 
wagon  on  the  flagged  court.  All,  then,  is 
ready.  Senora,  show  now  that  you  are  of  a 
noble  house,  and  in  this  hour  of  adversity  be 
brave,  as  the  Flores  have  always  been." 

She  was  pleased  by  the  entreaty,  and  took 
his  arm  with  a  composure  which,  though  as 
sumed,  was  a  sort  of  strength.  She  entered 
the  wagon  with  her  daughters,  and  uttered  no 
word  of  complaint.  Then  Navarro  locked  the 
gate,  and  took  his  seat  beside  Ortiz.  The 
prairie  turf  deadened  the  beat  of  their  horses' 
hoofs ;  they  went  at  a  flying  pace,  and  when 
the  first  pallid  light  of  morning  touched  the 
east,  they  had  left  San  Antonio  far  behind 
and  were  nearing  the  beautiful  banks  of  the 
Cibolo. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GOLIAD. 

**  How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  bless'd  ? 
***** 
By  fairy  hands  their  knell  is  rung ; 
By  forms  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung. 
There  Honor  comes,  a  pilgrim  gray, 
To  bless  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay; 
And  Freedom  shall  awhile  repair, 
To  dwell  a  weeping  hermit  there." 

"  How  shall  we  rank  thee  upon  glory's  page  ? 
Thou  more  than  soldier,  and  just  less  than  sage.8" 

"  Grief  fills  the  room  up  of  my  absent  child ; 
Lies  in  his  bed,  walks  up  and  down  with  me ; 
Remembers  me  of  all  his  gracious  parts." 

NEAR  midnight,  on  March  the  ninth,   the 
weary    fugitives    arrived    at    Gonzales. 
They  had  been  detained   by  the  deep  mud  in 
the    bottom    lands,  and  by  the    extreme    ex 
haustion  of  the  ladies,  demanding  some  hours' 
rest  each    day.      The    village    was    dark    and 
quiet.       Here  and    there   the   glimmer   of    a 
330 


GO  LI  AD.  33  r 

candle,  now  and  then  the  call  of  a  sentry,  or 
the  wail  of  a  child,  broke  the  mysterious 
silence. 

Ortiz  appeared  to  know  the  ground  perfect 
ly.  He  drove  without  hesitation  to  a  log 
house  in  which  a  faint  thread  of  light  was  ob 
servable,  and  as  he  approached  it  he  gave  a 
long,  peculiar  whistle.  The  door  was  instant 
ly  thrown  open,  and,  as  the  wagon  stopped,  two 
men  stepped  eagerly  to  it.  In  another  instant 
the  Sefiora  was  weeping  in  her  husband's  arms, 
and  Isabel  laughing  and  crying  and  murmur 
ing  her  sweet  surprises  into  the  ear  of  the  de 
lighted  Luis.  When  their  wraps  had  been  re 
moved  from  the  wagon,  Ortiz  drove  away,  leav 
ing  Navarro  and  Antonia  standing  by  the 
little  pile  of  ladies'  luggage. 

"  I  will  take  charge  of  all,  Seiiorita.  Alas  ! 
How  weary  you  are  !  " 

"  It  is  nothing,  Sefior.  Let  me  thank  you 
for  your  great  kindness." 

"  Seftorita,  to  be  of  service  to  you  is  my 
good  fortune.  If  it  were  necessary,  my  life 
for  your  life,  and  I  would  die  happy." 

She  had  given  him  her  hand  with  her  little 
speech  of  thanks,  and  he  raised  it  to  his  lips. 


33 2  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

It  was  an  act  of  homage  that  he  might  have 
offered  to  a  saint,  but  in  it  Lopez  unconscious 
ly  revealed  to  Antonia  the  secret  love  in  his 
heart.  For  he  stood  in  the  glow  of  light  from 
the  open  door,  and  his  handsome  face  showed, 
as  in  a  glass  darkly,  the  tenderness  and  hope 
lessness  of  his  great  affection.  She  was 
touched  by  the  discovery,  and  though  she  had 
a  nature  faithful  as  sunrising  she  could  not 
help  a  feeling  of  kindly  interest  in  a  lover  so 
reticent,  so  watchful,  so  forgetful  of  him 
self. 

The  log  cabin  in  which  they  found  shelter 
was  at  least  a  resting-place.  A  fire  of  cedar 
logs  burned  upon  the  hearth,  and  there  was  a 
bed  in  the  room,  and  a  few  rude  chairs  covered 
with  raw  hide.  But  the  Sefiora  had  a  happy 
smile  on  her  weary  face.  She  ignored  the 
poverty  of  her  surroundings.  She  had  her 
Roberto,  and,  for  this  hour  at  least,  had  for 
given  fate. 

Presently  the  coffee-pot  was  boiling,  and 
Doctor  Worth  and  Luis  brought  out  their  small 
store  of  corn-bread  and  their  tin  camp-cups, 
and  the  weary  women  ate  and  drank,  and  com 
forted  themselves  in  the  love  and  protection 


GOLIAD.  333 

at  their  side.  Doctor  Worth  sat  by  his  wife, 
and  gave  Antonia  his  hand.  Isabel  leaned  her 
pretty  head  against  Luis,  and  listened  with 
happy  smiles  to  his  low  words  : 

"  Charming  little  one,  your  lips  are  two  crim 
son  curtains.  Between  curtain  and  curtain  my 
kiss  is  waiting.  Give  it  to  me." 

"  Eyes  of  my  soul,  to-night  the  world  be 
gins  again  for  me." 

"At  this  blessed  hour  of  God,  I  am  the 
happiest  man  he  has  made." 

"  As  for  me,  here  in  this  dear,  white  hand 
I  put  my  heart." 

Is  there  any  woman  who  cannot  imagine 
Isabel's  shy  glances,  and  the  low,  sweet  words 
in  which  she  answered  such  delightful  pro 
testations?  And  soon,  to  add  a  keener  zest 
to  his  happiness,  Luis  began  to  be  a  little 
jealous. 

-  •'  With  us  is  Bias  de  Bonilla.  Do  you 
remember,  my  beloved  one,  that  you  danced 
with  him  once  ?  " 

"  How  can  you  say  a  thing  so  offensive?" 

"  Yes,  dear,  at  the  Seftora  Valdez's." 

"  It  may  be.     I  have  forgotten." 

"  Too  well  he  remembers.     He  has  dared  toft 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

sing  a  serenade  to  your  memory — well,  truly, 
he  did  not  finish  it,  and  but  for  the  Seftor 
Doctor,  I  should  have  taught  him  that  Isabel 
is  not  a  name  for  his  lips  to  utter.  Here,  he 
may  presume  to  come  into  your  presence. 
Will  you  receive  him  with  extreme  haughti 
ness  ?  It  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  me." 

'•'  The  poor  fellow !  Why  should  I  make 
him  miserable?  You  should  not  be  jealous, 
Luis." 

"  If  you  smile  on  him — the  least  little 
smile — he  will  think  you  are  in  love  with  him. 
He  is  such  a  fool,  I  assure  you.  I  am  very 
distressed  about  this  matter,  my  angel." 

"  I  will  tell  you  Luis — when  the  myrtle-tree 
grows  figs,  and  the  fig-tree  is  pink  with  myrtle 
flowers,  then  I  may  fall  in  love  with  Dias  de 
Bonilla — if  I  can  take  the  trouble." 

No  one  heeded  this  pretty,  extravagant  talk. 
It  was  a  thing  apart  from  the  more  serious 
interests  discussed  by  Doctor  Worth  and  his 
wife  and  eldest  daughter.  And  when  Ortiz  and 
Navarro  joined  the  circle,  the  story  of  the  fall 
of  the  Alamo  was  told  again,  and  Luis  forgot 
his  own  happiness,  and  wept  tears  of  anger 
and  pity  for  the  dead  heroes. 


GOLIAD.  335 

"  This  brutal  massacre  was  on  the  morning 
of  the  sixth,  you  say,  Navarro  ?  " 

"  Last  Sabbath  morning,  Senor.  Mass  was 
being  offered  in  the  churches,  and  Te  Deums 
sung  while  it  went  on." 

"  A  mass  to  the  devil  it  was,"  said  Ortiz. 

"  Now,  I  will  tell  you  something.  On  the 
morning  of  the  second,  Thomas  was  in  Wash 
ington.  A  convention  sitting  there  declared, 
on  that  day,  the  independence  of  Texas,  and 
fifty-five  out  of  fifty-six  votes  elected  General 
Houston  Commander-in-Chief." 

"  Houston  !  That  is  the  name  of  victory  ! 
Gracias  a  Dios  !  "  cried  Navarro. 

"  It  is  probable  that  the  news  of  this  move 
ment  influenced  Santa  Anna  to  such  bar 
barity." 

"  It  is  his  nature  to  be  brutal." 

"  True,  Ortiz ;  yet  I  can  imagine  how  this 
proclamation  would  incense  him.  On  the 
morning  of  the  sixth,  the  convention  received 
the  last  express  sent  by  poor  Travis  from  the 
Alamo.  It  was  of  the  most  thrilling  character, 
breathing  the  very  spirit  of  patriotism  and 
courage — and  despair.  In  less  than  an  hour, 
Houston,  with  a  few  companions,  was  on  his 


336  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

way  to  the  Alamo.  At  the  same  time  he  sent  an 
express  to  Fannin,  urging  him  to  meet  him  on 
the  Cibolo.  Houston  will  be  here  to-morrow." 

11  Then  he  will  learn  that  all  help  is  too  late." 

But  Houston  had  learned  it  in  his  own  way 
before  he  reached  Gonzales ;  for  Travis  had 
stated  that  as  long  as  the  Alamo  could  be 
held,  signal  guns  would  be  fired  at  sunrising ; 
and  it  is  a  well-authenticated  fact  that  these 
guns  were  heard  by  trained  ears  for  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  across  the  prairie.  Hous 
ton,  whose  senses  were  keen  as  the  Indians 
with  whom  he  had  long  lived  knew  when  he 
was  within  reach  of  the  sound ;  and  he  rose 
very  early,  and  with  his  ear  close  to  the  ground 
waited  in  intense  anxiety  for  the  dull,  rum 
bling  murmur  which  would  tell  him  the  Alamo 
still  held  out.  His  companions  stood  at  some 
distance,  still  as  statues,  intently  watching 
him.  The  sun  rose.  He  had  listened  irc  vain ; 
not  the  faintest  sound  did  his  ear  detect. 

"  The  Alamo  has  fired  its  last  gun,"  he  said, 
on  rejoining  his  companions. 

"  And  the  men,  General  ?  " 

"  They  have  died  like  men.  You  may  Vy» 
sure  of  that." 


GO  LI  AD,  337 

At  Gonzales  he  heard  the  particulars.  And 
he  saw  that  the  news  had  exerted  a  depressing 
influence  upon  the  troops  there.  He  called 
them  together.  He  spoke  to  them  of  the 
brutal  tragedy,  and  he  invested  its  horrors 
with  the  grandeur  of  eternal  purpose  and  the 
glory  of  heroic  sacrifice. 

"  They  were  soldiers,"  he  cried  ;  "  and  they 
died  like  soldiers.  Their  names  will  be  the 
morning  stars  of  American  history.  They  will 
live  for  ever  in  the  red  monument  of  the 
Alamo."  He  looked  like  a  lion,  with  a  gloomy 
stare ;  his  port  was  fierce,  and  his  eyes  com 
manded  all  he  viewed.  "  Vengeance  remains 
to  us  !  We  have  declared  our  independence, 
and  it  must  be  maintained." 

He  immediately  sent  off  another  express  to 
Fannin  ;  apprised  him  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo; 
ordered  him  to  blow  up  Goliad  and  fall  back 
upon  Gonzales.  Then  he  sent  wagons  into  the 
surrounding  country,  to  transport  the  women 
and  children  to  the  eastern  settlements  ;  for 
he  knew  well  what  atrocities  would  mark  every 
mile  of  Santa  Anna's  progress  through  the 
country. 

These  wagons,  with  their  helpless  loads,  were 


338  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

to  rendezvous  at  Peach  Creek,  ten  miles  from 
Gonzales  ;  where  also  he  expected  Fannin  and 
his  eight  hundred  and  sixty  men  to  join  him. 
This  addition  would  make  the  American  force 
nearly  twelve  hundred  strong.  Besides  which, 
Fannin's  little  army  was  of  the  finest  material, 
being  composed  mostly  of  enthusiastic  volun 
teers  from  Georgia  and  Alabama ;  young  men, 
who,  like  Dare  Grant  and  John  Worth,  were 
inspired  with  the  idea  of  freedom,  or  the 
spread  of  Americanism,  or  the  fanaticism  of 
religious  liberty  of  conscience — perhaps,  even, 
with  hatred  of  priestly  domination.  Houston 
felt  that  he  would  be  sufficient  for  Santa  Anna 
when  the  spirit  of  this  company  was  added  to 
the  moral  force  of  men  driven  from  their  homes 
and  families  to  fight  for  the  lands  they  had 
bought  and  the  rights  which  had  been  guar 
anteed  them. 

So  he  watched  the  horizon  anxiously  for 
Fannin's  approach,  often  laying  his  ear  to  the 
ground  to  listen  for.  what  he  could  not  see. 
And,  impatient  as  he  was  for  their  arrival,  the 
Senora  was  more  so.  She  declared  that  her 
sufferings  would  be  unendurable  but  for  this 
hope.  The  one  question  on  her  lips,  the  one 


GOLIAD.  339 

question  in  her  eyes,  was,  "  Are  they  coming  ?  ' 
And  Antonia,  though  she  did  not  speak  of  her 
private  hopes,  was  equally  anxious.  Brother 
and  lover  were  both  very  dear  to  her.  And  to 
have  the  whole  family  together  would  be  in 
itself  a  great  help.  Whatever  their  depriva 
tions  and  fatigues,  they  could  comfort  each 
other  with  their  affection. 

Every  day  wagon-loads  of  women  and 
children  joined  the  camp,  and  the  march  east 
ward  was  very  slow.  But  no  circumstance 
extols  more  loudly  the  bravery  and  tenderness 
of  these  American  soldiers  than  the  patience 
with  which  this  encumbrance  was  endured. 
Men  worn  out  with  watching  and  foraging 
were  never  too  weary  to  help  some  mother  still 
more  weary,  or  to  carry  some  little  child  whose 
swollen  feet  would  no  longer  aid  it. 

One  night  they  rested  at  a  little  place  on  the 
Colorado.  In  one  room  of  a  deserted  cabin 
Houston  sat  with  Major  Hockly,  dictating  to 
him  a  military  dispatch.  They  had  no  candles, 
and  Houston  was  feeding  the  fire  with  oak 
splinters,  to  furnish  light  enough  for  their 
necessity.  In  the  other  room,  the  Worth 
family  were  gathered,  Antonia,  in  preparing 


340  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

for  their  journey,  had  wisely  laid  a  small  mat 
tress  and  a  couple  of  pillows  in  the  wagon  ; 
and  upon  this  mattress  the  Seflora  and  Isabel 
were  resting.  Doctor  Worth  and  Thomas  sat 
by  the  fire  talking  of  Fannin's  delay ;  and  An- 
tonia  was  making  some  corn-meal  cakes  for 
their  supper. 

When  the  Sefiora's  portion  was  given  to  her 
she  put  it  aside,  and  lifted  her  eyes  to 
Antonia's  face.  They  asked  the  question  for 
ever  in  her  heart,  "  Is  Jack  coming  ? "  and 
Antonia  pitifully  shook  her  head. 

Then  the  poor  woman  seemed  to  have 
reached  the  last  pitch  of  endurance.  "  Let  me 
die  !  "  she  cried.  "  I  can  bear  life  no  longer." 
To  Mary  and  the  saints  she  appealed  with  a 
passionate  grief  that  was  distressing  to  witness. 
All  the  efforts  of  her  husband  and  her  children 
failed  to  sooth  her ;  and,  as  often  happens 
in  a  complication  of  troubles,  she  seized 
upon  the  most  trifling  as  the  text  of  her  com 
plaint. 

"  I  cannot  eat  corn  bread ;  I  have  always 
detested  it.  I  am  hungry.  I  am  perishing  for 
my  chocolate.  And  I  have  no  clothing.  I  am 
ashamed  of  myself.  I  thank  the  saints  I  have 


GOLIAD.  341 

no  looking-glass.  Oh,  Roberto !  Roberto ! 
What  have  you  done  to  your  Maria?" 

"  My  dear  wife  !  My  dear,  dear  wife  !  Be 
patient  a  little  longer.  Think,  love,  you  are 
not  alone.  There  are  women  here  far  more 
weary,  far  more  hungry;  several  who,  in  the 
confusion,  have  lost  their  little  children;  others 
who  are  holding  dying  babes  in  their  arms." 

"  Giver  of  all  good  !  give  me  patience.  I 
have  to  say  to  you  that  other  women's  sorrows 
do  not  make  me  grateful  for  my  own.  And 
Santa  Maria  has  been  cruel  to  me.  Another 
more  cruel,  who  can  find  ?  I  have  confessed  to 
her  my  heartache  about  Juan  ;  entreated  her 
to  bring  my  boy  to  me.  Has  she  done  it  ?  " 

"  My  darling  Maria." 

"  Grace  of  God.  Roberto  !  It  is  now  the 
twenty-third  of  IVirch  ;  I  have  been  seventeen 
days  wandering  *vith  my  daughters  like  very 
beggars.  If  only  I  had  had  the  discretion  to 
remain  in  my  own  house !  " 

"  Maria,  Lopez  will  tell  you  that  Fray  Ig 
natius  and  the  brothers  are  in  possession  of  it. 
He  saw  them  walking  about  the  garden  reading 
their  breviaries." 

At  this  moment  General  Houston,  in  the  op- 


S42  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

posite  room  was  dictating:  "Before  God,  I 
have  found  the  darkest  hours  of  my  life.  For 
forty-eight  hours  I  have  neither  eaten  an  ounce 
of  anything,  nor  have  I  slept."  The  Seftora's 
sobbing  troubled  him.  He  rose  to  close  the 
door,  and  saw  two  men  entering.  One  leaned 
upon  the  other,  and  appeared  to  be  at  the 
point  of  death. 

"  Where  is  there  a  doctor,  General? 

"  In  that  room,  sir.  Have  you  brought  news 
of  Fannin?" 

"I  have." 

"  Leave  your  comrade  with  the  doctor,  and 
report." 

The  entrance  of  the  wounded  man  silenced 
the  Senora.  She  turned  her  face  to  the  wall 
and  refused  to  eat.  Isabel  sat  by  her  side  and 
held  her  hand.  The  doctor  glanced  at  it  as  he 
turned  away.  It  had  been  so  plump  and 
dimpled  and  white.  It  was  now  very  thin  and 
white  with  exposure.  It  told  him  far  better  than 
complaining,  how  much  the  poor  woman  had 
suffered.  He  went  with  a  sigh  to  his  patient. 

"  Stabbed  with  a  bayonet  through  the  shoul 
der — hard  riding  from  Goliad — no  food- -no 
rest — that  tells  the  whole  story,  doctor." 


GOLIAD.  343 

It  was  all  he  could  say.  A  fainting-  fit  fol 
lowed.  Antonia  procured  some  stimulant,  and 
when  consciousness  returned,  assisted  her 
father  to  dress  the  wound.  Their  own  coffee 
was  gone,  but  she  begged  a  cup  from  some  one 
more  fortunate  ;  and  after  the  young  man  had 
drunk  it,  and  had  eaten  a  little  bread,  he  was 
inclined  to  make  light  of  his  wound  and  his 
sufferings. 

"  Glad  to  be  here  at  all,"  he  said.  "  I  think 
I  am  the  only  one  out  of  five  hundred." 

"  You  cannot  mean  that  you  are  of  Fannin's 
command  ?  " 

"  I  was  of  Fannin's  command.  Every  man 
in  it  has  been  shot.  I  escaped  by  a  kind  of 
miracle/' 

The  doctor  looked  at  the  Senora.  She  seemed 
to  be  asleep.  "  Speak  low,"  he  said,  "  but  tell 
me  all." 

The  man  sat  upon  the  floor  with  his  back 
against  the  wall.  The  doctor  stooped  over 
him.  Antonia  and  Isabel  stood  beside  their 
father. 

"  We  heard  of  Urrea's  approach  at  San 
Patricio.  The  Irish  people  of  that  settlement 
welcomed  Urrea  with  great  rejoicing.  He  was 


344  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

a  Catholic — a  defender  of  the  faith.  But  the 
American  settlers  in  the  surrounding  country 
fled,  and  Fannin  heard  that  five  hundred  women 
and  children,  followed  by  the  enemy,  were  try 
ing  to  reach  the  fortress  of  Goliad.  He  ordered 
Major  Ward,  with  the  Georgia  battalions,  to  go 
and  meet  the  fugitives.  Many  of  the  officers 
entreated  him  not  to  divide  his  men  for  a  re 
port  which  had  come  by  way  of  the  faithless 
colony  of  San  Patricio. 

"  But  Fannin  thought  the  risk  ought  to  be 
taken.  He  took  it,  and  the  five  hundred  women 
and  children  proved  to  be  a  regiment  of  Mex 
ican  dragoons.  They  surrounded  our  infantry 
on  every  side,  and  after  two  days'  desperate 
fighting,  the  Georgia  battalions  were  no  more. 
In  the  meantime,  Fannin  got  the  express  telling 
him  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo,  and  ordering  him 
to  unite  with  General  Houston.  That  might 
have  been  a  possible  thing  with  eight  hundred 
and  sixty  men,  but  it  was  not  possible  with 
three  hundred  and  sixty.  However,  we  made 
the  effort,  and  on  the  great  prairie  were  at 
tacked  by  the  enemy  lying  in  ambush  there. 
Entirely  encircled  by  them,  yet  still  fighting 
and  pressing  onward,  we  defended  ourselves 


GOLIAD.  345 

until  our  ammunition  gave  out.  Then  we  ac 
cepted  the  terms  of  capitulation  offered  by 
Urrea,  and  were  marched  back  to  Goliad  as 
prisoners  of  war.  Santa  Anna  ordered  us  all 
to  be  shot.'* 

"  But  you  were  prisoners  of  war?  " 

"  Urrea  laughed  at  the  articles,  and  said  his 
only  intention  in  them  was  to  prevent  the  loss 
of  Mexican  blood.  Most  of  his  officers  re 
monstrated  with  with  him,  but  he  flew  into  a 
passion  at  Miralejes.  '  The  Seflor  Presidente's 
orders  are  not  to  be  trifled  with.  By  the  Virgin 
of  Guadelupe  ! '  he  cried,  '  it  would  be  as  much 
as  my  own  life  was  worth  to  disobey  them.' 

"  It  gave  the  Mexican  soldiers  pleasure  to 
tell  us  these  things,  and  though  we  scarcely 
believed  such  treachery  possible,  we  were  very 
uneasy.  On  the  eighth  day  after  the  surrender, 
a  lovely  Sunday  morning,  we  were  marched 
out  of  the  fort  on  pretence  of  sending  us  to 
Louisiana,  according  to  the  articles  of  surren 
der,  and  we  were  in  high  spirits  at  the  prospect. 

"  But  I  noticed  that  we  were  surrounded  by 
a  double  row  of  soldiers,  and  that  made  me 
suspicious.  In  a  few  moments,  Fannin  was 
marched  into  the  centre,  and  told  to  sit  down 


346  REMEMBER    7"HE  ALAMO. 

on  a  low  stool.  He  felt  that  his  hour  had 
come.  He  took  his  watch  and  his  purse,  and 
gave  them  to  some  poor  woman  who  stood  out 
side  lamenting  and  praying  for  the  poor 
Americans.  I  shall  never  forget  the  calmness 
and  brightness  of  his  face.  The  Mexican 
colonel  raised  his  sword,  the  drums  beat,  and 
the  slaughter  began.  Fifty  men  at  a  time 
were  shot ;  and  those  whom  the  guns  missed 
or  crippled,  were  dispatched  with  the  bayonet 
or  lance." 

"  You  escaped.     How?" 

'*  When  the  lips  of  the  officer  moved  to  give 
the  order :  Fire  !  I  fell  upon  my  face  as  if  dead. 
As  I  lay,  I  was  pierced  by  a  bayonet  through 
the  shoulder,  but  I  made  no  sign  of  life.  After 
the  execution,  the  camp  followers  came  to  rob 
the  dead.  A  kind-hearted  Mexican  woman 
helped  me  to  reach  the  river.  I  found  a  horse 
tied  there,  and  I  took  it.  I  have  been  on  the 
point  of  giving  up  life  several  times,  but  I  met 
a  man  coming  here  with  the  news  to  Houston, 
and  he  helped  me  to  hold  out." 

The  doctor  was  trembling  with  grief  and 
anger,  and  he  felt  Antonia's  hand  on  his 
shoulder. 


GOLIAD.  347 

"•  My  friend,"  he  whispered,  "  did  you  know 
John  Worth?" 

"  Who  did  not  know  him  m  Fannin's  camp  ? 
Any  of  us  would  have  been  glad  to  save  poor 
Jack  ;  and  he  had  a  friend  who  refused  to  live 
without  him." 

"  Dare  Grant  ?  " 

"  That  was  the  man,  young  lady.  Grant  was 
a  doctor,  and  the  Mexicans  wanted  doctors. 
They  offered  him  his  life  for  his  services,  but 
he  would  not  have  it  unless  his  friend's  life  also 
was  spared.  They  were  shot  holding  each 
other's  hands,  and  fell  together.  I  was  watch 
ing  their  faces  at  the  moment.  There  wasn't  a 
bit  of  fear  in  them." 

The  Seftora  rose,  and  came  as  swiftly  as  a 
spirit  to  them.  She  looked  like  a  woman  walk 
ing  in  her  sleep.  She  touched  the  stranger. 
"  I  heard  you.  You  saw  Dare  Grant  die.  But 
my  boy!  My  boy  !  Where  is  my  Juan  ?" 

"  Maria,  darling." 

"  Don't  speak,  Roberto.  Where  is  my  Juan  ? 
Juan  Worth  ?  " 

"  Madam.  I  am  sorry  enough,  God  knows, 
Juan  Worth — was  shot." 

Then   the  wretched   mother    threw  up   her 


348  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

hands,  and  with  an  awful  cry  fell  to  the  ground. 
It  was  hours  ere  she  recovered  consciousness, 
and  consciousness  only  restored  her  to 
misery. 

The  distress  of  the  father,  the  brother  and 
sisters  of  the  dead  youth  was  submerged  in  the 
speechless  despair  of  the  mother.  She  could 
not  swallow  food  ;  she  turned  away  from  the 
the  sympathy  of  all  who  loved  her.  Even  Isa 
bel's  caresses  were  received  with  an  apathy 
which  was  terrifying.  With  the  severed  curl 
of  her  boy's  hair  in  her  fingers,  she  sat  in  tear 
less,  voiceless  anguish. 

Poor  Antonia,  weighed  down  with  the  double 
loss  that  had  come  to  her,  felt,  for  the  first 
time,  as  if  their  condition  was  utterly  hopeless. 
The  mental  picture  of  her  brother  and  her 
lover  meeting  their  tragic  death  hand  in  hand, 
their  youth  and  beauty,  their  courage  and 
fidelity,  was  constantly  before  her.  With  all 
the  purity  and  strength  of  her  true  heart,  she 
loved  Dare  ;  but  she  did  not  for  a  moment  wish 
that  he  had  taken  a  different  course.  "  It 
is  just  what  I  should  have  expected  from 
him,"  she  said  to  Isabel.  "  If  he  had  let  poor 
Jack  die  alone,  I  could  never  have  loved  him 


GGLIAD.  349 

in  the  same  way  again.  But  oh,  Isabel,  how 
miserable  I  am  ?  " 

"  Sweet  Antonia,  I  can  only  weep  with  you. 
Think  of  this  ;  it  was  on  last  Sunday  morning. 
Do  you  remember  how  sad  you  were?" 

"  I  was  in  what  seemed  to  be  an  unreason 
able  distress.  I  went  away  to  weep.  My 
very  thoughts  were  tired  with  their  sorrowful 
journeys  up  and  down  my  mind,  trying  to  find 
out  hope  and  only  meeting  despair.  Oh,  my 
brave  Jack !  Oh,  my  dear  Dare,  what  a  cruel 
fate  wasyour's  !  " 

"  And  mi  madre,  Antonia  ?  I  fear,  indeed, 
that  she  will  lose  her  senses.  She  will  not 
speak  to  Thomas,  nor  even  to  me.  She  has 
not  said  a  prayer  since  Jack's  death.  She  can- 
not  sleep.  I  am  afraid  of  her,  Antonia." 

"  To-night  we  are  to  move  further  east ;  per 
haps  the  journey  may  waken  her  out  of  this 
trance  of  grief.  I  can  see  that  our  father  is 
wretched  about  her ;  and  Thomas  wanders  in 
and  out  of  the  room  as  if  his  heart  was 
broken." 

"  Thomas  loved  Jack.  Luis  told  me  that  he 
sat  with  him  and  Lopez,  and  that  he  sobbed 
like  a  woman.  But,  also,  he  means  a  great 


35°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

revenge.  None  of  the  men  slept  last  night. 
They  stood  by  the  camp-fires  talking.  Some 
times  I  went  to  the  door  and  looked  out. 
How  awful  they  were  in  the  blaze  and  dark 
ness  !  I  think,  indeed,  they  could  have  con 
quered  Santa  Anna  very  easily." 

Isabel  had  not  misjudged  the  spirit  of  the 
camp.  The  news  of  the  massacre  at  Goliad 
was  answered  by  a  call  for  vengeance  that 
nothing  but  vengeance  could  satisfy.  On  the 
following  day  Houston  addressed  his  little 
army.  He  reminded  them  that  they  were  the 
children  of  the  heroes  who  fought  for  liberty  at 
Yorktown,  and  Saratoga,  and  Bunker  Hill.  He 
made  a  soul-stirring  review  of  the  events  that 
had  passed ;  he  explained  to  them  their  situa 
tion,  and  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  and  how 
he  proposed  to  meet  them. 

His  voice,  loud  as  a  trumpet  with  a  silver 
sound,  inspired  all  who  heard  it  with  courage. 
His  large,  bright  visage,  serious  but  hopeful, 
seemed  to  sun  the  camp.  "They  live  too 
long,"  he  cried,  "who  outlive  freedom.  And 
I  promise  you  that  you  shall  have  a  full  cup  of 
vengeance.  For  every  man  that  fell  fighting 
vat  the  Alamo,  for  every  one  treacherously 


GO  LI  AD.  35 1 

slaughtered  at  Goliad,  you  shall  be  satisfied. 
If  I  seem  to  be  flying  before  the  enemy  now,  it 
is  for  his  destruction.  Three  Mexican  armies 
united,  we  cannot  fight.  We  can  fight  them 
singly.  And  every  mile  we  make  them  follow 
us  weakens  them,  separates  them,  confuses 
them.  The  low  lands  of  the  Brazos,  the  un- 
fordable  streams,  the  morasses,  the  pathless 
woods,  are  in  league  with  us.  And  we  must 
place  our  women  and  children  in  safety.  Even 
if  we  have  to  carry  them  to  General  Gaines  and 
the  United  States  troops,  we  must  protect 
them,  first  of  all.  I  believe  that  we  shall  win 
our  freedom  with  our  own  hands;  but  if  the 
worst  come,  and  we  have  to  fall  back  to  the 
Sabine,  we  shall  find  friends  and  backers  there. 
I  know  President  Jackson,  my  old  general,  the 
unconquered  Christian  Mars !  Do  you  think 
he  will  desert  his  countrymen?  Never!  If 
we  should  need  help,  he  has  provided  it.  And 
the  freedom  of  Texas  is  sure  and  certain.  It 
is  at  hand.  Prepare  to  achieve  it.  We  shall 
take  up  our  march  eastward  in  three  hours.' 

Ringing  shouts  answered  the  summons.  The 
camp  was  in  a  tumult  of  preparation  imme 
diately;  Houston  was  lending  his  great  phys- 


35 2  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

ical  strength  to  the  mechanical  difficulties  to 
be  encountered.  A  crowd  of  men  was  around. 
Suddenly  a  woman  touched  him  on  the  arm, 
and  he  straightened  himself  and  looked  at  her. 

"  You  will  kill  Santa  Anna,  General  ?  You 
will  kill  this  fiend  who  has  escaped  from  hell ! 
By  the  mother  of  Christ,  I  ask  it." 

"  My  dear  madam  !  " 

He  was  so  moved  with  pity  that  he  could 
not  for  a  moment  or  two  give  her  any  stronger 
assurance.  For  this  suppliant,  pallid  and  fren 
zied  with  sorrow,  was  the  once  beautiful  Se* 
flora  Worth.  He  looked  at  her  hollow  eyes, 
and  shrunk  form,  and  worn  clothing,  and  re 
membered  with  a  pang,  the  lovely,  gracious 
lady  clad  in  satin  and  lace,  with  a  jewelled 
comb  in  her  fine  hair  and  a  jewelled  fan  in  her 
beautiful  hands,  and  a  wave  of  pity  and  anger 
passed  like  a  flame  over  his  face. 

"  By  the  memory  of  my  own  dear  mother, 
Seflora,  I  will  make  Santa  Anna  pay  the  full 
price  of  his  cruelties." 

"Thank  you,  Sefior";  and  she  glided  away 
with  her  tearless  eyes  fixed  upon  the  curl  of 
black  hair  in  her  open  palm. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    LOADSTONE    IN    THE    BREAST 

"  But  to  the  hero,  when  his  sword 
Has  won  the  battle  for  the  free, 
Thy  voice  sounds  like  a  prophet's  word, 
And  in  its  hollow  tones  are  heard. 
The  thanks  of  millions  yet  to  be," 

"  Who  battled  for  the  true  and  just, 

"  And  grasps  the  skirts  of  happy  chance, 
And  breasts  the  blows  of  circumstance. 

"  And  lives  to  clutch  the  golden  keys, 
To  mould  a  mighty  state's  decrees." 

E  memorial  of  wrongs,  which  resulted  in 
the  Declaration  of  Texan  Independence, 
was  drawn  up  with   statesmanlike  ability  by 
David  G.  Burnett,  a  native   of  New  Jersey,  a 
man  of  great  learning,  dignity,  and  experience ; 
who,  as  early  as   1806,  sailed  from  New  Yorli 
to  join  Miranda  in  his  effort   to   give  Spanish 
America   liberty.     The     paper    need    not    be 
quoted  here.     It  gave  the  greatest  prominence 
353 


354  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

to  the  refusal  of  trial  by  jury,  the  failure  to 
establish  a  system  of  public  education,  the  tyr 
anny  of  military  law,  the  demand  that  the  col 
onists  should  give  up  arms  necessary  for  their 
protection  or  their  sustenance,  the  inciting  of 
the  Indians  to  massacre  the  American  settlers, 
and  the  refusal  of  the  right  to  worship  the 
Almighty  according  to  the  dictates  of  their 
own  consciences.  Burnett  was  elected  Gover 
nor,  and  Houston  felt  that  he  could  now  give 
his  whole  attention  to  military  affairs. 

The  seat  of  Government  was  removed  to 
Harrisburg,  a  small  place  on  the  Buffalo  Ba 
you  ;  and  Houston  was  sure  that  this  change 
would  cause  Santa  Anna  to  diverge  from  his 
route  to  Nacogdoches.  He  dispatched  orders 
to  the  men  scattered  up  and  down  the  Brazos 
from  Washington  to  Fort  Bend — a  distance  of 
eighty  miles — to  join  him  on  the  march  to 
Harrisburg,  and  he  struck  his  own  camp  at  the 
time  he  had  specified. 

In  less  than  twenty-four  hours  they  reached 
San  Felipe,  a  distance  of  twenty-eight  miles. 
The  suffering  of  the  women  and  children  on 
that  march  can  never  be  told.  Acts  of  hero 
ism  on  the  part  of  the  men  and  of  fortitude 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.        355 

on  the  part  of  the  women  that  are  almost  in 
credible,  marked  every  step  of  the  way.  The 
Seiiora  sat  in  her  wagon,  speechless,  and  lost  in 
a  maze  of  melancholy  anguish.  She  did  not 
seem  to  heed  want,  or  cold,  or  wet,  or  the 
utter  misery  of  her  surroundings.  Her  soul 
had  concentrated  all  its  consciousness  upon 
the  strand  of  hair  she  continually  smoothed 
through  her  fingers.  Dr.  Worth,  in.  his  capac 
ity  of  physician,  accompanied  the  flying  fami 
lies,  and  he  was  thus  able  to  pay  some  atten 
tion  to  his  distraught  wife ;  but  she  answered 
nothing  he  said  to  her.  If  she  looked  at  him, 
her  eyes  either  flamed  with  anger,  or  expressed 
something  of  the  terror  to  be  seen  in  the  eyes 
of  a  hunted  animal.  It  was  evident  that  her 
childish  intelligence  had  seized  upon  him  as 
the  most  obvious  cause  of  all  her  loss  and 
misery. 

The  condition  of  a  wife  so  beloved  almost 
broke  his  heart.  The  tragic  death  of  his  dear 
son  was  not  so  hard  to  endure  as  this  living 
woe  at  his  side.  And  when  they  reached  San 
Felipe  and  found  it  in  ashes,  a  bitter  cry  of 
hopeless  suffering  came  from  every  woman's 
lips.  They  had  thought  to  find  there  a  lit* 


35 6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

tie  food,  and  a  day's  sheltered  resting-place. 
Even  Antonia's  brave  soul  fainted  at  the  want 
and  suffering  around  her.  She  had  gold,  but 
it  could  not  buy  bread  for  the  little  ones, 
weeping  with  hunger  and  terrified  by  the  fret- 
fulness  of  mothers  suffering  the  pangs  of  want 
and  in  the  last  stage  of  human  weariness. 

It  was  on  this  night  Houston  wrote :  "  I 
will  do  the  best  I  can ;  but  be  assured  the 
fame  of  Jackson  could  never  compensate  me 
for  my  anxiety  and  mental  pain."  And  yet, 
when  he  was  told  that  a  blind  woman  and  her 
seven  children  had  been  passed  by,  and  did 
not  know  the  enemy  were  approaching,  he 
delayed  the  march  until  men  had  been  sent 
back  to  bring  them  into  safety. 

During  these  days  of  grief  and  privation 
Isabel's  nature  grew  to  its  finest  proportions. 
Her  patient  efforts  to  arouse  her  mother,  and 
her  cheerfulness  under  the  loss  of  all  comforts, 
were  delightful.  Besides  which,  she  had  an 
inexhaustible  fund  of  sympathy  for  the  babies. 
She  was  never  without  one  in  her  arms.  Three 
mothers,  who  had  died  on  the  road,  left  their 
children  to  her  care.  And  it  was  wonderful 
and  pitiful  to  see  the  delicately  nurtured  girl, 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.   357 

making  all  kinds  of  efforts  to  secure  little 
necessaries  for  the  children  she  had  elected  to 
care  for. 

"  The  Holy  Mother  helps  me,"  she  said  to 
Antonia.  "  She  makes  the  poor  little  ones 
good,  and  I  am  not  very  tired." 

At  San  Felipe  they  were  joined  by  nearly  one 
hundred  men,  who  also  brought  word  that  a  fine 
company  were  advancing  to  their  aid  from 
Mississippi,  under  General  Quitman ;  and  that 
two  large  cannon,  sent  by  the  people  of  Cin 
cinnati,  were  within  a  few  miles.  And  thus 
hoping  and  fearing,  hungry  and  weary  to  the 
death,  they  reached,  on  the  i6th  of  April,  after 
a  march  of  eighteen  miles,  a  place  called  Mc- 
Arley's.  They  had  come  over  a  boggy  prairie 
under  a  cold  rain,  and  were  depressed  beyond 
expression.  But  there  was  a  little  shelter  here 
for  the  women  and  children  to  sleep  under. 
The  men  camped  in  the  open.  They  had  not 
a  tent  in  their  possession. 

About  ten  o'clock  that  night,  Doctor  Worth 
was  sitting  with  his  wife  and  children  and 
Antonia  in  one  corner  of  a  room  in  a  deserted 
cabin.  He  had  the  Senora's  wasted  hand  in 
his  own,  and  was  talking  to  her.  She  sat  in 


358  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

apathetic  silence.  It  was  impossible  to  tell 
whether  she  heard  or  understood  him. 

"  I  wonder  where  Isabel  is,"  said  Antonia ; 
and  with  the  words  the  girl  entered  the 
room.  She  had  in  her  arms  a  little  lad  of 
four  years  old,  suffering  the  tortures  of  croup. 

"  Mi  madre,"  she  cried,  "  you  know  how  to 
save  him  !  He  is  dying  !  Save  him  !  Listen 
tome!  The  Holy  Mother  says  so";  and  she 
laid  the  child  on  her  knee. 

A  change  like  a  flash  of  light  passed  over 
the  Seftora's  face.  "  The  poor  little  one!" 
Her  motherly  instincts  crushed  down  every 
thing  else.  In  the  child's  agony  she  forgot  her 
own  grief.  With  glad  hearts  the  doctor  and 
Antonia  encouraged  her  in  her  good  work,  and 
when  at  length  the  sufferer  had  been  relieved 
and  was  sleeping  against  her  breast,  the  Seftora 
had  wept.  The  stone  from  her  heart  had  been 
rolled  away  by  a  little  child.  Her  own  selfish 
sorrow  had  been  buried  in  a  wave  of  holy, 
unselfish  maternal  affection.  The  key  to  her 
nature  had  been  found,  and  henceforward 
Isabel  brought  to  her  every  suffering  baby. 

On  the  next  day  they  marched  ten  miles 
through  a  heavy  rain,  and  arrived  at  Burnett's 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      359 

settlement.  The  women  had  shelter,  the  men 
slept  on  the  wet  ground — took  the  prairie 
without  cover — with  their  arms  in  their  hands. 
They  knew  they  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa 
Anna,  and  all  were  ready  to  answer  in  an  in 
stant  the  three  taps  of  the  drum,  which  was 
the  only  instrument  of  martial  music  in  the 
camp,  and  which  was  never  touched  but  by 
Houston. 

Another  day  of  eighteen  miles  brought  them 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  Harrisburg. 
Santa  Anna  had  just  been  there,  and  the  place 
was  in  ashes.  It  was  evident  to  all,  now,  that 
the  day  and  the  hour  was  at  hand.  Houston 
first  thought  of  the  two  hundred  families  he 
had  in  charge,  and  they  were  quickly  taken 
over  the  bayou.  When  he  had  seen  the  last 
one  in  this  comparative  safety,  he  uttered  so 
fervent  a  "  Thank  God  !  "  that  the  men  around 
unconsciously  repeated  it.  The  bayou  though 
narrow  was  twenty  feet  deep,  and  the  very 
home  of  alligators.  There  was  only  one  small 
bridge  in  the  vicinity.  He  intended  its  de 
struction,  and  thus  to  make  his  little  band  and 
the  deep,  dangerous  stream  a  double  barrier 
between  the  Mexicans  and  the  women  and 


30  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

children  beyond  them.     It  was  after  this  duty 
he  wrote  : 

"  This  morning  we  are  in  preparation  to 
meet  Santa  Anna.  We  will  only  be  about  seven 
hundred  to  march,  besides  the  camp  guard. 
But  we  go  to  conquest.  The  troops  are  in 
fine  spirits,  and  now  is  the  time  for  action.  I 
leave  the  result  in  the  hands  of  an  all-wise 
God,  and  I  rely  confidently  in  his  Providence. 

"SAM  HOUSTON."* 

The  women  and  children,  under  a  compe 
tent  guide,  continued  their  march  eastward. 
But  they  were  worn  out.  Many  were  unable 
to  put  their  feet  to  the  ground.  The  wagons 
were  crowded  with  these  helpless  ones.  The 
Senora  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  understand 
that  within  a  few  hours  Santa  Anna  and  the 
Americans  must  meet.  And,  mentally  led  by 
Isabel's  passionate  hatred,  she  now  showed  a 
vindictiveness  beyond  that  of  any  other 
woman. 

She  spent  hours  upon  her  knees,  imploring 
the  saints,  and  the  stars,  and  the  angel  Michael, 

*  Copy  from  Department  of  War  of  the  Republic  of 
Texas. 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      361 

to  fight  against  Santa  Anna.  To  Isabel  she 
whispered,  "  I  have  even  informed  the  evil  one 
where  he  may  be  found.  The  wretch  who 
ordered  such  infamies!  He  poisons  the  air 
of  the  whole  world  as  he  goes  through  it.  I 
shall  never  be  happy  till  I  know  that  he  is  in 
purgatory.  He  will  be  hated  even  there — and 
in  a  worse  place,  too.  Yes,  it  is  pleasant  to 
think  of  that !  There  will  be  many  accusers  of 
him  there.  I  shall  comfort  myself  with  imagin 
ing  his  punishment.  Isabel,  do  you  believe 
with  your  heart  that  Seflor  Houston  and  the 
Americans  will  be  strong  enough  to  kill  him?  " 

"  Mi  madre,  I  know  it." 

"  Then  do  be  a  little  delighted.  How  can 
you  bear  things  with  such  a  provoking  indiffer 
ence  ?  But  as  Luis  is  safe — " 

"  Chito  !  Chito  !  Do  not  be  cruel,  mi  madre. 
I  would  stab  Santa  Anna  with  my  own  hands 
— very  slowly,  I  would  stab  him.  It  would  be 
so  sweet.  The  Sisters  told  me  of  a  woman 
in  the  Holy  Book,  who  smiled  upon  the  one 
she  hated,  and  gave  him  milk  and  butter,  and 
when  he  slept,  drove  a  great  nail  through  his 
temples.  I  know  how  she  felt.  What  a  feast 
it  would  be,  to  strike,  and  strike,  and  strike  !  I 


32  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO, 

could  drive  ten,  twenty,  fifty  nails,  into  Santa 
Anna,  when  I  think  of  Juan.  " 

No  one  had  before  dared  to  breathe  her  boy's 
name  in  her  hearing.  She  herself  had  never 
spoken  it.  It  fell  upon  the  ears  of  both  women 
like  a  strain  of  forgotten  music.  They  looked 
at  each  other  with  eyes  that  stirred  memory 
and  love  to  their  sweetest  depths.  Almost  in 
whispers  they  began  to  talk  of  the  dead  boy, 
to  recall  how  lovable,  how  charming,  how  affec 
tionate,  how  obedient  he  had  been.  Then  the 
Seftora  broke  open  the  seals  of  her  sorrow, 
and,  with  bitter  reproaches  on  herself,  con 
fessed  that  the  kiss  she  had  denied  her  Juan 
was  a  load  of  anguish  upon  her  heart  that  she 
could  not  bear. 

"  If  I  had  only  blessed  him,"  she  moaned ; 
"  I  had  saved  him  from  his  misfortune.  A 
mother's  blessing  is  such  a  holy  thing  !  And 
he  knelt  at  my  knees,  and  begged  it.  I  can 
see  his  eyes  in  the  darkness,  when  my  eyes  are 
shut.  I  can  hear  his  voice  when  I  am  asleep. 
Isabel,  I  shall  never  be  happy  till  I  see  Juan 
again,  and  say  to  him,  '  Forgive  me,  dear  one, 
forgive  me,  for  I  have  suffered.' " 

Both  were  weeping,  but  Isabel  said,  bravely; 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      363 

"I  am  sure  that  Juan  does  not  blame  you 
now,  mi  madre.  In  the  other  world  one 
understands  better.  And  remember,  also,  the 
letter  which  he  wrote  you.  His  last  thought 
was  yours.  He  fell  with  your  name  on  his 
lips.  These  things  are  certain.  And  was  it 
not  good  of  Dare  to  die  with  him  ?  A  friend 
like  that  !  Out  of  the  talc-books  who  ever 
hears  of  such  a  thing  ?  Antonia  has  wept 
much.  In  the  nights,  when  she  thinks  I  am 
asleep,  I  hear  her.  Have  you  seen  that  she 
has  grown  white  and  thin  ?  I  think  that  my 
father  is  very  unhappy  about  her." 

"  In  an  hour  of  mercy  may  the  merciful  One 
remember  Dare  Grant !  I  will  pray  for  his 
peace  as  long  as  I  live.  If  he  had  left  Juan — • 
if  he  had  come  back  alone — I  think  indeed  I 
should  have  hated  him." 

"  That  was  also  the  opinion  of  Antonia — 
she  would  never  have  loved  him  the  same.  I 
arn  sure  she  would  not  have  married  him." 

"  My  good  Antonia  !  Go  bring  her  to  me, 
Isabel.  I  want  to  comfort  her.  She  has  been 
so  patient  with  me.  I  have  felt  it — felt  it  every 
minute  ;  and  I  have  been  stupid  and  selfish,  and 
have  forgotten  that  she  too  was  suffering." 


364  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

The  next  day  it  was  found  impossible  to 
move.  The  majority  of  the  women  had  hus 
bands  with  the  army.  They  had  left  their 
wives,  to  secure  everlasting  freedom  for  their 
children;  but,  even  if  Houston  was  victorious, 
they  might  be  wounded  and  need  their  help. 
To  be  near  them  in  any  case  was  the  one 
thing  about  which  they  were  positive. 

"  We  will  not  move  another  inch,"  said  a 
brave  little  Massachusetts  woman,  who  had 
been  the  natural  leader  of  this  domestic 
Exodus  ;  "  we  will  rest  ourselves  a  little  here, 
and  if  the  Mexicans  want  some  extraordinary 
fighting  they  can  have  it ;  especially,  if  they 
come  meddling  with  us  or  our  children.  My 
husband  told  me  just  to  get  out  of  reach  of 
shot  and  shell  and  wait  there  till  we  heard  of 
the  victory,  and  I  am  for  doing  that,  and  no 
other  thing." 

Nearly  two  hundred  women,  bent  upon  their 
own  way,  are  not  to  be  taken  any  other  way  ; 
and  the  few  old  men  who  had  been  sent  to  guide 
the  party,  and  shoot  what  game  was  necessary 
for  their  support,  surrendered  at  once  to  this 
feminine  mutiny.  Besides,  the  condition  of 
the  boys  and  girls  between  seven  and  fourteen 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      365 

was  really  a  deplorable  one.  They  were  too 
old  to  be  cared  for  as  infants,  and  they  had 
been  obliged,  with  the  strength  of  children,  to 
accomplish  the  labor  of  men  and  women. 
Many  were  crippled  in  their  feet,  others  were 
continually  on  the  point  of  swooning. 

It  was  now  the  2Oth  of  April.  The  Senora 
and  her  daughters  had  been  six  weeks  with 
the  American  army,  exposed  to  all  the  priva 
tions  which  such  a  life  entailed.  But  the  most 
obvious  of  these  privations  were,  perhaps, 
those  which  were  most  easily  borne.  Women 
endure  great  calamities  better  than  the  little 
annoyances  affecting  those  wants  which  are 
part  and  parcel  of  their  sex  or  their  caste.  It 
was  not  the  necessaries  so  much  as  the  luxuries 
of  life  which  the  Senora  missed — the  changes 
of  raiment — the  privacy — the  quiet — the  regu 
larity  of  events. 

During  the  whole  of  the  2Oth,  there  was 
almost  a  Sabbath  stillness.  It  was  a  warm, 
balmy  day.  The  wearied  children  were 
under  the  wagons  and  under  the  trees, 
sleeping  the  dead  sleep  of  extreme  exhaus 
tion.  The  mothers,  wherever  it  was  pos- 
«ible,  slept  also.  The  guides  were  a  little 


366  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

apart,  listening  and  smoking.  If  they  spoke, 
it  was  only  in  monosyllables.  Rest  was  so 
much  more  needed  than  food  that  little  or  no 
attempt  was  made  to  cook  until  near  sundown. 

At  dawn  next  morning — nay,  a  little  before 
dawn — when  all  was  chill,  and  gray,  and  misty, 
and  there  was  not  a  sound  but  the  wailing  of  a 
sick  child,  the  Seftora  touched  her  daughters. 
Her  voice  was  strange  to  them  ;  her  face 
solemnly  happy. 

"  Antonio  !  Isabel !  /  have  seen  Juan  !  I 
have  seen  Juan  /  My  eyes  were  shut,  but  I  have 
seen  him.  He  was  a  beautiful  shadow,  with  a 
great,  shadowy  host  around  him.  He  bent  on 
me  such  eyes!  Holy  Mother!  their  love  was 
unfathomable,  and  I  heard  his  voice.  It  was 
far  off,  yet  near.  'Madre!'  he  said,  '  To 
morrow  you  shall  hear  from  us!  Now  I  am 
happy.  There  are  words  in  my  heart,  but  I 
cannot  explain  them  to  you.  I  know  what 
they  mean.  I  will  weep  no  more.  They  put 
my  Juan's  body  in  the  grave,  but  they  have 
not  buried  him'' 

All  day  she  was  silent  and  full  of  thought, 
but  her  face  was  smiling  and  hopeful,  and  she 
had  the  air  of  one  waiting  for  some  assured 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.   367 

happiness.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  she  stood  up  quickly  and  cried,  "  Hark! 
the  battle  has  begun !  "  Every  one  listened 
intently,  and  after  a  short  pause  the  oldest  of 
the  guides  nodded.  "  I'd  give  the  rest  of  my 
life  to  be  young  again,"  he  said,  "just  for 
three  hours  to  be  young,  and  behind  Hous 
ton !  " 

"  To-morrow  we  shall  hear" 

The  words  fell  from  the  Seflora's  lips  with  a 
singular  significance.  Her  face  and  voice  were 
the  face  and  voice  of  some  glad  diviner,  tri 
umphantly  carrying  her  own  augury.  Under 
a  little  grove  of  trees  she  walked  until  sunset, 
passing  the  beads  of  her  rosary  through  her 
fingers,  and  mechanically  whispering  the 
prayers  appointed.  The  act  undoubtedly 
quieted  her,  but  Antonia  knew  that  she  lay 
awake  all  night,  praying  for  the  living  or  the 
dead. 

About  ten  o'clock  of  the  morning  of  the  22d, 
a  horseman  was  seen  coming  toward  the  camp 
at  full  speed.  Women  and  children  stood 
breathlessly  waiting  his  approach.  No  one 
could  speak.  If  a  child  moved,  the  movement 
was  angrily  reproved.  The  tension  was  too 


368  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

great  to  admit  of  a  touch  through  any  sense. 
Some,  unable  to  bear  the  extended  strain,  sank 
upon  the  ground  and  covered  their  faces  with 
their  hands.  But  the  half-grown  children,  wan 
with  privations  and  fever,  ragged  and  bare 
foot,  watched  steadily  the  horse  and  its  rider, 
their  round,  gleaming  eyes  full  of  wonder  and 
fear. 

"  It  is  Thomas,"  said  the  Sefiora. 

As  he  came  near,  and  the  beat  of  the  horse's 
hoofs  could  be  heard,  a  cry  almost  inarticulate, 
not  to  be  described,  shrill  and  agonizing  in  its 
intensity,  broke  simultaneously  from  the 
anxious  women.  It  was  one  cry  from  many 
hearts,  all  at  the  last  point  of  endurance. 
Thomas  Worth  understood  it.  He  flung  his 
hat  up,  and  answered  with  a  joyful  "  Hurrah  !  " 

When  he  reached  the  camp,  every  face  was 
wet  with  tears,  and  a  crowd  of  faces  was  in- 
stantly  round  him.  All  the  agonies  of  war 
were  on  them.  He  raised  himself  in  his  stir 
rups  and  shouted  out  : 

"You  may  all  go  back  to  your  homes! 
Santa  Anna  is  completely  overthrown  !  The 
Mexican  army  is  destroyed  !  There  will  be  no 
more  righting,  no  more  fears.  The  indepen- 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST,   369 

dence  of  Texas  is  won  !  No  matter  where  you 
come  from,  you  are  all  Texans  now  !  Victory  ! 
Freedom  !  Peace  !  My  dear  friends,  go  back 
to  your  homes.  Your  husbands  will  join  you 
at  the  San  Jacinto." 

Then  he  dismounted  and  sought  his  mother 
and  sisters.  With  joyful  amazement  he  recog 
nized  the  change  in  the  Senora.  "  You  look 
like  yourself,  dear  mother,"  he  said.  "  Father 
sends  you  this  kiss.  He  would  have  brought 
it,  but  there  are  a  few  wounded  men  to  look 
after;  and  also  I  can  ride  quicker.  Antonia, 
cheer  up  my  dear !  — and  Isabel,  little 
darling,  you  will  not  need  to  cry  any  more 
for  your  ribbons,  and  mantillas,  and  pretty 
dresses." 

"Thomas!  You  have  not  much  feeling,  I 
think.  What  I  want  to  know  about,  is  Luis. 
You  think  of  no  one  ;  and,  as  for  my  dresses, 
and  mantillas,  I  dare  say  Fray  Ignatius  has 
sold,  or  burned  them." 

"Queridita!  Was  I  cruel?  Luis  is  well. 
He  has  not  a  scratch.  He  was  in  the  front  of 
the  battle,  too." 

"  That,  of  course.  Would  you  imagine  that 
Luis  would  be  at  the  rear  ?  He  is  General 


57°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Houston's  friend,  and  one  lion  knows  another 
Hon." 

"  Pretty  one,  do  not  be  angry  with  me.  I 
will  tell  you  some  good  news.  Luis  is  coming 
here,  unless  you  go  back  at  once  with  me," 

"  We  will  go  back  with  you,  Thomas.  I  am 
full  of  impatience.  I  remember  my  dear 
home.  I  will  go  to  it,  like  a  bird  to  its 
nest." 

In  half  an  hour  they  had  turned  the  heads 
of  their  horses  westward  again.  They  went  so 
rapidly,  and  were  under  so  much  excitement 
that  sustained  conversation  was  impossible. 
And  the  Sefiora  also  fell  into  a  sound  sleep  as 
soon  as  the  first  homeward  steps  had  been 
taken.  Whatever  had  been  made  known  to 
her  by  Juan  had  received  its  fulfilment.  She 
was  assured  and  happy.  She  slept  till  they 
reached  the  victorious  camp,  and  her  husband 
awakened  her  with  a  kiss.  She  answered  him 
with  her  old  childish  impulsiveness.  And 
among  the  first  words  she  said,  were  :  "  Rob 
erto,  my  beloved,  I  have  seen  Juan." 

He  believed  her.  To  his  reverent  soul  there 
was  nothing  incredible  in  the  statement.  The 
tie  between  a  mother  and  her  child  is  not 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.   37 1 

broken  by  death.  Was  it  unlikely,  then,  that 
Juan  should  have  been  conscious  of,  and 
touched  by,  the  mental  agony  which  his  un 
timely  death  had  caused  a  mother  so  beloved? 

And  oh  !  how  different  was  the  return  to  the 
ground  west  of  the  Buffalo  Bayou.  The  very 
atmosphere  was  changed.  A  day  or  two  of 
spring  had  brought  out  the  flowers  and  un 
folded  every  green  thing.  Doctor  Worth  took 
his  family  to  a  fine  Mexican  marquee,  and 
among  other  comforts  the  Sefiora  found  there 
the  chocolate  she  had  so  long  craved,  and  some 
cigaritos  of  most  delicate  flavor. 

In  a  short  time  a  luxurious  meal  was  pre 
pared  by  Antonia,  and  just  as  they  were  sitting 
down  to  it,  Luis  and  Lopez  entered  the  tent 
together.  Isabel  had  expected  the  visit  and 
prepared  for  it  as  far  as  her  limited  wardrobe 
permitted.  And  her  fine  hair,  and  bright  eyes, 
her  perfect  face  and  form,  and  the  charming 
innocence  of  her  manners,  adorned  her  as  the 
color  and  perfume  of  the  rose  make  the  beauty 
of  the  flower.  She  was  so  lovely  that  she  could 
dare  to  banter  Luis  on  the  splendor  of  his 
attire. 

"  It   is   evident,    mi    madre,    that    Luis  has 


37 2  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

found  at  least  the  baggage  of  a  major-general. 
Such  velvet  and  silver  embroidery !  Such  a 
silk  sash !  They  are  fit  at  the  very  least  for  a 
sultan  of  the  Turks." 

He  came  to  her  crowned  with  victory.  Like 
a  hero  he  came,  and  like  a  lover.  They  had  a 
thousand  pretty  things  to  say  to  each  other; 
and  a  thousand  blissful  plans  in  prospect. 
Life  to  them  had  never  before  been  so  well 
worth  living. 

Indeed,  a  wonderful  exaltation  possessed 
both  Luis  and  Lopez.  The  sombre,  handsome 
face  of  the  latter  was  transfigured  by  it.  He 
kissed  the  hand  of  the  Seftora,  and  then  turned 
to  Antonia.  Her  pallor  and  emaciation 
shocked  hirrio  He  could  only  murmur,  "  Sefto- 
rita !  "  But  she  saw  the  surprise,  the  sorrow, 
the  sympathy,  yes,  the  adoring  love  in  his 
heart,  and  she  was  thankful  to  him  for  the 
reticence  that  relieved  her  from  special 
attention. 

Doctor  Worth  made  room  for  Lopez  beside 
him.  Luis  sat  by  Isabel,  upon  a  pile  of  splen 
did  military  saddle-cloths.  As  she  sipped  her 
chocolate,  he  smoked  his  cigarito  in  a  lazy 
fashion,  and  gave  himself  up  with  delight  to 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      373 

that  foolishness  of  love-making  which  is  often 
far  wiser  than  the  very  words  of  wisdom. 

As  yet  the  ladies  had  not  spoken  of  the  bat 
tle.  It  was  won.  That  great  fact  had  been  as 
much  as  they  could  bear  at  first.  The  Seftora 
wanted  to  sleep.  Isabel  wanted  to  see  Luis. 
Only  Antonia  was  anxious  for  the  details,  and 
she  had  been  busy  in  preparing  the  respectable 
meal  which  her  mother  had  so  long  craved. 
The  apparent  indifference  was  natural  enough. 
The  assurance  of  good  fortune  is  always  suffi 
cient  for  the  first  stage  of  reaction  from 
anxiety.  When  the  most  urgent  personal  feel 
ings  have  been  satisfied,  then  comes  the  de 
mand  for  detail  and  discussion.  So  now,  as 
they  sat  together,  the  Seftora  said  : 

"  No  one  has  told  me  anything  about  the 
battle.  Were  you  present,  Roberto?" 

"  I  had  that  great  honor,  Maria.  Lopez  and 
Luis  were  with  the  cavalry,  and  Ortiz  also  has 
had  some  satisfaction  for  all  his  wrongs." 

"  Very  good  !  But  I  am  impatient  for  the 
story  ;  so  is  Antonia  ;  and  as  for  Isabel — bah  ! 
the  little  one  is  listening  to  another  story. 
One  must  excuse  her.  We  expected  the  bat 
tle  on  the  twentieth,  but  no  ! 


374  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  The  enemy  were  expecting  it  also,  and 
were  in  high  spirits  and  perfect  preparation. 
Houston  thought  it  prudent  to  dash  their  en 
thusiasm  by  uncertainty  and  waiting.  But  at 
dawn,  on  the  twenty-first,  we  heard  the  three 
taps  of  the  drum,  and  seven  hundred  soldiers 
sprang  to  their  feet  as  one  man.  Houston  had 
been  watching  all  night.  He  spoke  to  us  with 
a  tongue  of  fire  and  then,  while  we  cooked  and 
ate  our  breakfast,  he  lay  down  and  slept.  The 
sun  came  up  without  a  cloud,  and  shone 
brightly  on  his  face.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
said  to  Burleson,  as  he  saluted  him  :  '  The 
sun  of  Austerlitz  has  risen  again.' 

"  Some  one  brought  him  a  piece  of  corn- 
bread  and  broiled  beef.  He  sat  upon  the 
grass  and  ate  it — or  rather  upon  the  blue  hya 
cinths  that  covered  the  grass ;  they  are  red 
now.  For  many  weeks  I  had  not  seen  his 
countenance  so  bright ;  all  traces  of  trouble 
and  anxiety  were  gone.  He  called  Deaf 
Smith — the  scout  of  scouts — and  quickly 
ordered  him  to  cut  down  the  only  bridge 
across  the  bayou. 

4<  At  nine  o'clock,  General  Cos  joined  Santa 
Anna  with  five  hundred  and  forty  men,  and  for 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.     375 

a  moment  I  thought  we  had  made  a  mistake 
in  not  attacking  the  enemy  before  his  rein- 
forcements  came  up.  But  the  knowledge  that 
Cos  was  present,  raised  enthusiasm  to  the  high 
est  pitch.  Our  troops  remembered  his  parole 
at  the  Alamo,  and  the  shameful  manner  in 
which  he  had  broken  it  ;  and  there  was  not  a 
man  who  did  not  long  to  kill  him  for  it. 

"  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
Houston  ordered  the  attack.  The  seven  hun 
dred  Americans  were  divided  into  three  bodies. 
I  saw  Houston  in  the  very  centre  of  the  line, 
and  I  have  a  confused  memory  of  Milard  and 
Lamar,  Burleson  and  Sherman  and  Wharton, 
in  front  of  their  divisions." 

"  Were  the  Mexicans  expecting  the  attack, 
father?" 

''They  were  in  perfect  order,  Antonia ;  and 
when  Sherman  shouted  the  battle-cry :  '  Re 
member  the  Alamo  !  Goliad  and  the  Alamo  !  ' 
it  was  taken  up  by  the  whole  seven  hundred, 
and  such  a  shout  of  vengeance  mortal  ears 
never  heard  before.  The  air  was  full  of  it, 
and  it  appeared  to  be  echoed  and  repeated  by 
innumerable  voices. 

"  With  this  shout  on  our  lips,  we  advanced 


376  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

to  within  sixty  paces  of  the  Mexican  lines,  and 
then  a  storm  of  bullets  went  flying  over  our 
heads.  One  ball,  however,  shattered  Hous 
ton's  ankle,  and  another  struck  his  horse  in  the 
breast.  But  both  man  and  horse  were  of  the 
finest  metal,  and  they  pressed  on  regardless  of 
their  wounds.  We  did  not  answer  the  volley 
until  we  poured  our  lead  into  their  very 
bosoms.  No  time  for  reloading  then.  We 
clubbed  our  rifles  till  they  broke,  flung  them 
away  and  fired  our  pistols  in  the  eyes  of  the 
enemy;  then,  nothing  else  remaining,  took  our 
bowie-knives  from  our  belts  and  cut  our  way 
through  the  walls  of  living  flesh." 

Lopez  rose  at  the  words.  It  was  impossible 
for  him  to  express  himself  sufficiently  in  an  at 
titude  of  repose.  His  eyes  glowed  like  fire,  his 
dark  face  was  like  a  flame,  he  threw  up  his 
hands  as  he  cried  : 

"  Nothing  comparable  to  that  charge  with 
knives  was  ever  made  on  earth  !  If  I  had  seen 
through  the  smoke  and  vapor  the  mighty 
shade  of  Bowie  leading  it,  I  should  not  have 
been  surprised." 

"  Perhaps  indeed,  he  did  lead  it,"  said  the 
Seftora,  in  a  solemn  voice.  "  I  saw,  yes,  by 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.     377 

all  the  saints  of  God  !  I  saw  a  great  host  with 
my  Juan.  They  stretched  out  vast,  shadowy 
arms — they  made  me  feel  what  I  can  never  tell. 
But  I  shall  honor  Seftor  Houston.  I  shall  say 
to  him  some  day,  *  Sefior,  the  unseen  bat 
talions  —  the  mighty  dead  as  well  as  the 
mighty  living — won  the  battle.'  Roberto,  be 
lieve  me,  there  are  things  women  understand 
better  than  wise  men." 

A  little  awe,  a  solemn  silence,  answered  the 
earnest  woman.  Luis  and  Isabel  came  close 
to  her,  and  Isabel  took  her  hand.  Lopez 
resumed  the  conversation.  "  I  know  Colonel 
Bowie,"  he  said.  "  In  the  last  days  at  San 
Antonio  I  was  often  with  him.  Brave  as  a 
lion,  true  to  his  friends,  relentless  to  his  foes, 
was  he.  The  knife  he  made  was  the  expres 
sion  of  his  character  in  steel.  It  is  a  knife  of 
extreme  unction — the  oil  and  wafer  are  all  that 
remains  for  the  men  who  feels  its  edge.  For 
my  part,  I  honor  the  Sefiora's  thought.  It  is  a 
great  satisfaction  to  me  to  hope  that  Bowie, 
and  Crockett,  and  Travis,  and  Fannin,  and  all 
their  company  were  present  at  San  Jacinto. 
If  the  just  God  permitted  it,  'twas  a  favor  of 
supreme  justice." 


378  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  But  then  you  are  not  alone  in  the  thought, 
Lopez.  I  heard  General  Sherman  say,  '  Poor 
Fannin  !  He  has  been  blamed  for  not  obeying 
Houston's  orders.  /  think  he  obeyed  them 
to-day!  At  the  moment  I  did  not  com 
prehend;  but  now  it  is  plain  to  me.  He 
thought  Fannin  had  been  present,  and  perhaps 
it  was  this  belief  made  him  so  impetuous  and 
invincible.  He  fought  like  a  spirit ;  one  for 
got  that  he  was  flesh  and  blood." 

"  Sherman  is  of  a  grand  stock,"  said  the 
doctor ;  "  descended  from  the  wise  Roger 
Sherman;  bred  in  Massachusetts  and  trained 
in  all  the  hardy  virtues  of  her  sons.  It  was 
from  his  lips  the  battle-cry  of  'Remember  the 
Alamo  / '  sprang." 

"  But  then,  Roberto,  nothing  shall  persuade 
me  that  my  countrymen  are  cowards." 

"  On  the  contrary,  Maria,  they  kept  their 
ground  with  great  courage.  They  were  slain 
by  hundreds  just  where  they  stood  when  the 
battle  began.  Twenty-six  officers  and  nearly 
seven  hundred  men  were  left  dead  upon  the 
field.  But  the  flight  was  still  more  terrible. 
Into  the  bayou  horses  and  men  rolled  down 
together.  The  deep  black  stream  became  red ; 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.   379 

it  was  choked  up  with  their  dead  bodies,  while 
the  mire  and  water  of  the  morass  was  literally 
bridged  with  the  smothered  mules  and  horses 
and  soldiers." 

"  The  battle  began  at  three  o'clock ;  but  we 
heard  the  firing  only  for  a  very  short  time," 
said  Antonia. 

"  After  we  reached  their  breastworks  it 
lasted  just  eighteen  minutes.  At  four,  the 
whole  Mexican  army  was  dead,  or  flying  in 
every  direction,  and  the  pursuit  and  slaughter 
continued  until  twilight.  Truly  an  unseen 
power  made  all  our  moves  for  us.  It  was  a 
military  miracle,  for  our  loss  was  only  eight 
killed  and  seventeen  wounded." 

44  I  am  sorry  Houston  is  among  the 
wounded." 

"  His  ankle-bone  is  shattered.  He  Is  suf 
fering  much.  I  was  with  him  when  he  left  the 
field  and  I  was  delighted  with  his  patience  and 
dignity.  The  men  crowded  around  him.  They 
seized  his  bridle ;  they  clasped  his  hands. 
'  Have  we  done  well  to-day,  General  ?  Are 
you  satisfied  with  us  ?  '  they  cried. 

"'You  have  covered  yourselves  with  glory,' 
he  answered.  '  You  have  written  a  grand  page 


380  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

in  American  history  this  day,  boys.  For  it 
was  not  for  fame  nor  for  empire  you  fought ; 
but  for  your  rights  as  freemen,  for  your  homes 
and  your  faith.' 

''The  next  moment  he  fell  from  his  horse, 
and  we  laid  him  down  at  the  foot  of  an  oak 
tree.  He  had  fainted  from  loss  of  blood  and 
the  agony  of  his  wound,  combined  with  the 
superhuman  exertions  and  anxieties  of  the 
past  week." 

"  But  he  is  better  now?" 

"  Yes ;  I  dressed  the  wound  as  well  as  my 
appliances  permitted ;  but  he  will  not  be  able 
to  use  his  foot  for  some  time.  No  one  slept 
that  night.  Weary  as  the  men  were,  their  ex 
citement  and  happiness  were  too  great  for  the 
bonds  of  sleep.  In  the  morning  the  rich  spoils 
of  the  enemy's  camp  were  divided  among  them. 
Houston  refused  any  part  in  them.  '  My 
share  of  the  honor  is  sufficient,'  he  said.  Yet 
the  spoils  were  very  valuable  ones  to  men  who 
but  a  few  hours  before  had  nothing  but  the 
clothing  they  wore  and  the  arms  they  carried. 
Among  them  were  nearly  one  thousand  stand 
of  English  muskets,  three  hundred  valuable 
mules,  one  hundred  fine  horses,  provisions, 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      3Sl 

clothing,  tents,  and  at  least  twelve  thousand 
dollars  in  silver." 

"  Were  you  on  the  field  all  the  time, 
father?" 

"  I  was  near  Houston  from  first  to  last. 
When  he  saw  the  battle  was  won,  he  did  his 
best  to  prevent  needless  slaughter.  But  men 
on  a  battle-field  like  San  Jacinto  cannot  be 
reasoned  with ;  after  a  certain  point,  they 
could  not  even  be  commanded.  The  majority 
had  some  private  revenge  to  satisfy  after  the 
public  welfare  had  been  served.  We  met  one 
old  man  in  a  frenzy,  covered  with  blood  from 
his  white  beard  to  his  boots,  his  arms  bare  to 
his  shoulders,  his  knife  dripping  from  haft  to 
point." 

"  Houston  looked  at  him,  and  said  something 
about  mercy  and  valor.  '  General/  he  said, 
'they  killed  two  of  my  boys  at  Goliad,  and 
my  brother  at  the  Alamo.  I'll  not  spare  a 
Mexican  while  I've  the  strength  to  kill  one. 
I'm  on  the  scent  for  Santa  Anna,  and,  by  G — , 
if  I  find  him,  I  will  spare  Texas  and  you  any 
more  trouble  with  the  brute.' ' 

At  this  moment  Thomas  Worth  entered  the 
marquee,  and,  in  an  excited  manner,  said : 


3^2  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO 

'*  Santa  Anna  is  taken !  Santa  Anna  is 
taken  !  " 

"  Taken  !  "  cried  the  Senora  in  a  passion. 
"  Taken  !  Is  it  possible  the  wretch  is  yet  in 
this  world  ?  I  was  assuring  myself  that  he  was 
in  one  not  so  comfortable.  Why  is  he  not 
killed  ?  It  is  an  inconceivable  insult  to 
humanity  to  let  him  live.  Have  you  thought 
of  your  brother  Juan  ?  Give  me  the  knife  in 
your  belt,  Thomas,  if  you  cannot  use  it." 

"  My  dear  mother — " 

"  Maria,  my  life!  Thomas  could  not  wisely 
kill  so  important  a  prisoner.  Texas  wants  him 
to  secure  her  peace  and  independence.  The 
lives  of  all  the  Americans  in  Mexico  may  de 
pend  upon  his.  Mere  personal  vengeance  on 
him  would  be  too  dear  a  satisfaction.  On  the 
battle-field  he  might  have  been  lawfully 
slain — and  he  was  well  looked  for  ;  but  now, 
No." 

"  Holy  Mary  !  might  have  been  slain  !  He 
ought  to  have  been  slain,  a  thousand  times 
over." 

"  Luis,  I  wish  that  you  had  been  a  hero, 
and  killed  him.  Then  all  our  life  long,  if  you 
had  said,  '  Isabel,  I  slew  Santa  Anna/  I  should 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      383 

have  given  you  honor  for  it.  I  should  be 
obedient  to  your  wishes  for  that  deed." 

"  But  my  charming  one,  I  prefer  to  be 
obedient  to  your  wish.  Let  us  not  think  of 
the  creature  ;  he  is  but  a  dead  dog." 

The  doctor  turned  to  his  son.  "  Thomas, 
tell  us  about  the  capture." 

"  I  was  riding  with  a  young  lieutenant, 
called  Sylvester,  from  Cincinnati,  and  he  saw 
a  man  hiding  in  the  grass.  He  was  in  coarsest 
clothing,  but  Sylvester  noticed  under  it  linen 
of  fine  cambric.  He  said  :  'You  are  an  officer, 
I  perceive,  sir.'  The  man  denied  it,  but  when 
he  could  not  escape,  he  asked  to  be  taken  to 
General  Houston.  Sylvester  tied  him  to  his 
bridle-rein,  and  we  soon  learned  the  truth  ; 
for  as  we  passed  the  Mexican  prisoners  they 
lifted  their  hats  and  said,  with  a  murmur  of 
amazement,  '  El  Presidente  !  ' 

"  The  news  spread  like  wildfire.  As  we 
took  him  through  the  camp  he  trembled  at  the 
looks  and  words  that  assailed  him,  and  prayed 
us  continually,  '  for  the  love  of  God  and  the 
saints/  not  to  let  him  be  slain.  We  took  him 
to  Houston  in  safety.  Houston  was  resting  on 
the  ground,  having-  had,  as  my  father  knows, 


34  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

a  night  of  great  suffering.  Santa  Anna  ap. 
preached  him,  and,  laying  his  hand  on  his 
heart,  said :  *  I  am  General  Antonio  Lopez  de 
Santa  Anna,  President  of  the  Mexican  Repub 
lic,  and  I  claim  to  be  your  prisoner  of  war/ 
Houston  pointed  to  a  seat,  and  then  sent  for 
Santa  Anna's  secretary,  Almonte,  who  is  also  a 
prisoner,  and  who  speaks  English  perfectly. 

"  When  Almonte  came,  he  embraced  Santa 
Anna,  and  addressing  Houston,  said  :  'General, 
you  are  born  to  a  great  destiny.  You  have 
conquered  the  Napoleon  of  the  West.  Gener 
osity  becomes  the  brave  and  the  fortunate.' 

"  Houston  answered,  sternly :  *  You  should 
have  remembered  that  sentiment  at  the  Alamo 
and  at  Goliad.' 

"  Then  the  following  conversation  occurred. 
Santa  Anna  said  : 

11 '  The  Alamo  was  taken  by  storm.  The 
usages  of  war  permitted  the  slaughter.' 

"  '  We  live  in  the  nineteenth  century,  Presi* 
dent.  We  profess  to  be  Christians.' 

" '  I  have  to  remind  you,  General  Houston, 
of  the  storming  of  San  Sebastian,  Ciudad, 
Riego  and  Badajos,  by  the  Duke  of  Wel 
lington.' 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.   385 

"  '  That  was  in  Spain.  There  may  have  been 
circumstances  demanding  such  cruelty.' 

" '  Permit  me  also  to  bring  to  your  intelli 
gence  the  battles  at  Fort  Meigs  and  at  the 
river  Raisin.  American  prisoners  were  there 
given  by  English  officers  to  their  Indian  allies 
for  torture  and  death.  The  English  war  cry 
at  Sandusky  was,  "  Give  the  d —  Yankees  no 
quarter." ' 

'"Sir,  permit  me  to  say,  that  you  read  his 
tory  to  a  devilish  purpose,  if  you  read  it  to 
search  after  brutal  precedents.  At  Goliad  our 
men  surrendered.  They  were  promised  safe- 
conduct  out  of  Texas.  The  massacre  at  Goliad 
was  a  ferocious  crime.' 

" '  It  was  precisely  the  same  thing  as  the 
wholesale  murder  of  Turkish  prisoners  at  Jaffa 
by  the  great  Napoleon.  Also  I  had  the  posi 
tive  orders  of  my  government  to  slay  all 
Americans  found  with  arms.' 

"'These  men  had  given  up  their  arms/ 

"  '  All  Americans — my  government  said  so.' 

" '  Sir !  you  are  the  government  of  Mexico. 
You  obeyed  your  own  orders.' 

"  '  You  will  at  least  allow  that,  in  the  eyes  of 
recognized  nations,  your  army  was  but  a  band 


386  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

of  desperadoes,  without  government,  and  fight* 
ing  under  no  flag/ 

" '  Sir,  you  show  a  convenient  ignorance. 
We  have  a  government ;  and  as  soon  as  we  can 
lay  down  our  rifles,  we  shall  probably  be  able 
to  make  a  flag.  I  say  to  you,  President  Santa 
Anna,  that  the  butchery  at  Goliad  was  without 
an  excuse  and  without  a  parallel  in  civilized 
warfare.  The  men  had  capitulated  to  General 
Urrea.' 

"'Urrea  had  no  right  to  receive  their  capit 
ulation.'  Then  his  mild,  handsome  face  became 
in  a  moment  malicious  and  tigerish,  and  he 
said  with  a  cruel  emphasis:  'If  I  ever  get 
Urrea  into  my  hands,  I  will  execute  him !  I 
perceive,  however,  that  I  have  never  under 
stood  the  American  character.  For  the  few 
thousands  in  the  country,  I  thought  my  army 
an  overwhelming  one.  I  underestimated  their 
ability.' 

"  '  I  tell  you,  sir,  an  army  of  millions  would 
be  too  small  to  enslave  ten  thousand  free-born 
anglo-Americans.  Liberty  is  our  birthright. 
We  have  marched  four  days  on  an  ear  or  two 
of  dry  corn,  and  then  fought  a  battle  after  it ' ; 
and  Houston  drew  from  his  pocket  an  ear,  par- 


THE  LOADSTONE  IN  THE  BREAST.      387 

tially  consumed,  which  had  been  his  ration. 
'  We  have  had  no  tents,  no  music,  no  uniforms, 
no  flag,  nothing  to  stimulate  us  but  the  deter 
mination  to  submit  to  no  wrong,  and  to  have 
every  one  of  our  rights.' 

"  Then  he  turned  to  Rusk  and  Sherman,  and 
called  a  military  counsel  about  the  prisoner, 
who  was  placed  in  an  adjoining  tent  under  a 
sufficient  guard.  But  the  excitement  is  in 
tense  ;  and  the  wretch  is  suffering,  undoubt 
edly,  all  the  mortal  terrors  of  being  torn  to 
pieces  by  an  infuriated  soldiery.  Houston  will 
have  to  speak  to  them.  They  will  be  influ 
enced  by  no  other  man." 

The  discussion  upon  this  event  lasted  until 
midnight.  But  the  ladies  retired  to  their  own 
tent  much  earlier.  They  knelt  together  in 
grateful  prayer,  and  then  kissed  each  other 
upon  their  knees.  It  was  so  sweet  to  lie  down 
once  more  in  safety ;  to  have  the  luxury  of  a 
tent,  and  a  mattress,  and  pillow. 

"  Blessed  be  the  hand  of  God  !  my  children," 
said  the  Seftora  ;  "  and  may  the  angels  give  us 
in  our  dreams  grateful  thoughts." 

And  then,  in  the  dark,  Isabel  nestled  her 
head  in  her  sister's  breast,  ,and  whispered : 


388  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Forgive  me  for  being  happy,  sweet  Antonia. 
Indeed,  when  I  smiled  on  Luis,  I  was  often 
thinking  of  you.  In  my  joy  and  triumph  and 
love,  I  do  not  forget  that  one  great  awful  grave 
at  Goliad.  But  a  woman  must  hide  so  many 
things;  do  you  comprehend  me,  Antonia?" 

"  Querdita,"  she  whispered,  "  I  comprehend 
all.  God  has  done  right.  If  His  angel  had 
said  to  me,  *  One  must  be  taken  and  the  other 
left,'  I  should  have  prayed,  *  Spare  then  my  lit 
tle  sister  all  sorrow.'  Good-night,  my  darling"; 
but  as  their  lips  met,  Isabel  felt  upon  her 
cheeks  the  bitter  rain  which  is  the  price  of 
accepted  sacrifice ;  the  rain,  which  afterwards 
makes  the  heart  soft,  and  fresh,  and  responsive 
to  all  the  airs  of  God. 

At  the  same  moment,  the  white  curtains  of 
the  marquee,  in  which  the  doctor  sat  talking 
with  his  son  and  Luis  and  Lopez,  were  opened  ; 
and  the  face  of  Ortiz  showed  brown  and  glow- 
kig  between  them. 

"  Seftors,"  he  said,  as  he  advanced  to  them, 
"  I  am  satisfied.  I  have  been  appointed  on  the 
guard  over  Santa  Anna.  He  has  recognized 
me.  He  has  to  obey  my  orders.  Will  you 
think  of  that  ? "  Then  taking  the  doctor's 


THE  LOADSTOIVE  IN  THE  BREAST.      389 

hand  he  raised  it  to  his  lips.  "  Senor,  I  owe 
this  satisfaction  to  you.  You  have  made  me 
my  triumph.  How  shall  I  repay  you  ?  " 

"  By  being  merciful  in  the  day  of  your 
power,  Ortiz." 

"  I  assure  you  that  I  am  not  so  presump 
tuous,  Sefior.  Mercy  is  the  right  of  the  Di 
vinity.  It  is  beyond  my  capacity.  Besides 
which,  it  is  not  likely  the  Divinity  will  trouble 
himself  about  Santa  Anna.  I  have,  therefore, 
to  obey  the  orders  of  the  great,  the  illustrious 
Houston ;  which  are,  to  prevent  his  escape  at 
all  risks.  May  St.  James  give  me  the  opportu 
nity,  Sefiors  !  In  this  happy  hour,  a  Dios!  " 

Then  Lopez  bent  forward,  and  with  a  smile 
touched  the  doctor's  hand.  "  Will  you  now 
remember  the  words  I  said  of  Houston  ?  Did 
I  not  tell  you,  that  success  was  with  him? 
that  on  his  brow  was  the  line  of  fortune? 
that  he  was  the  loadstone  in  the  breast  ol 
freedom?" 


CHAPTER  XVII, 

HOME  AGAIN. 

"  Where'er  we  roam, 
Our  first,  best  country  ever  is  at  home." 

*  What  constitutes  a  state  ? 

Men  who  their  duties  know; 
But  know  their  rights,  and  knowing,  dare  maintain, 

•*  And  sovereign  law,  that  states  collected  will 

O'er  thrones  and  globes  elate, 
Sits  empress  ;  crowning  good,  repressing  ill.' 

"  This  hand  to  tyrants  ever  sworn  a  foe, 

For  freedom  only  deals  the  deadly  blow  ; 
Then  sheathes  in  calm  repose  the  vengeful  blade, 
For  gentle  peace,  in  freedom's  hallowed  shade." 

THE    vicinity  of   a   great    battle-field    is  a 
dreadful  place  after  the  lapse  of  a  day  or 
two.     The  bayou  and  the  morass  had  provided 
sepulture  for  hundreds  of  slain  Mexicans,  but 
hundreds  still  lay  upon  the  open  prairie.     Over 
it,  birds  of  prey  hung  in  dark  clouds,  heavy- 
winged,  sad,  sombre,  and  silent.     Nothing  dis- 
390 


HOME  AGAIN.  391 

turbed  them.  They  took  no  heed  of  the  living. 
Armed  with  invincible  talons  and  beaks  tipped 
with  iron,  they  carried  on  ceaselessly  that 
automatic  gluttony,  which  made  them  benefi 
cent  crucibles  of  living  fire,  for  all  which 
would  otherwise  have  corrupted  the  higher 
life.  And  yet,  though  innocent  as  the  ele 
ments,  they  were  odious  in  the  sight  of  all. 

Before  daylight  in  the  morning  the  Sefiora 
and  her  daughters  were  ready  to  begin  their 
homeward  journey.  The  doctor  could  not 
accompany  them,  General  Houston  and  the 
wounded  Americans  being  dependent  largely 
upon  his  care  and  skill.  But  Luis  Alveda  and 
Lopez  Navarro  received  an  unlimited  furlough  ; 
and  about  a  dozen  Mexican  prisoners  of  war 
belonging  to  San  Antonio  were  released  on 
Navarro's  assurance,  and  permitted  to  travel 
with  the  party  as  camp  servants.  It  was  likely, 
also,  that  they  would  be  joined  by  a  great 
many  of  the  families  who  had  accompanied  the 
great  flight ;  for,  on  the  preceding  evening, 
Houston  had  addressed  the  army,  at  /f  told 
the  householders  and  farmers  to  go  home 
and  plant  their  corn. 

Full  of  happiness,   the  ladies    prepared    for 


392  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

their  journey.  A  good  army  wagon,  drawn  by 
eight  mules,  and  another  wagon,  containing  two 
tents  and  everything  necessary  for  a  comfort 
able  journey,  was  waiting  for  them.  The 
doctor  bid  them  good-by  with  smiles  and 
cheerful  promises.  They  were  going  home. 
The  war  was  over.  Independence  was  won. 
They  had  the  hope  of  permanent  peace.  The 
weather  also  was  as  the  weather  may  be  among 
the  fields  of  Eden.  The  heavens  were  cloud 
less,  the  air  sweet  and  fresh,  and  the  wild 
honeysuckles,  with  their  spread  hands  full  of 
scent,  perfumed  the  prairies  mile  after  mile. 
The  mules  went  knee-deep  through  warm 
grasses  ;  the  grasses  were  like  waving  rainbows, 
with  the  myriads  of  brightly  tinted  flowers. 

Even  Lopez  was  radiantly  happy.  Most 
unusual  smiles  lighted  up  his  handsome  face, 
and  he  jingled  the  silver  ornaments  on  his 
bridle  pleasantly  to  his  thoughts  as  he  cantered 
sometimes  a  little  in  advance  of  the  wagon, 
sometimes  in  the  rear,  occasionally  by  its  side; 
then,  bending  forward  to  lift  his  hat  to  the 
ladies  and  inquire  after  their  comfort. 

Luis  kept  close  to  Isabel ;  and  her  lovely 
face  and  merry  chatter  beguiled  him  from  all 


HOME  AGAIN.  393 

other  observations.  A  little  before  noon  they 
halted  in  a  beautiful  wood ;  a  tent  was  spread 
for  the  ladies,  the  animals  were  loosened  from 
their  harness,  and  a  luxurious  meal  laid  upon 
the  grass.  Then  the  siesta  was  taken,  and  at 
three  o'clock  travel  was  resumed  until  near  sun 
set,  when  the  camp  was  made  for  the  night. 
The  same  order  was  followed  every  day,  and 
the  journey  was  in  every  sense  an  easy  and 
delightful  one.  The  rides,  cheered  by  pleasant 
companionship,  were  not  fatiguing ;  the  im 
promptu  meals  were  keenly  relished.  And 
there  were  many  sweet  opportunities  for  little 
strolls  in  the  dim  green  woods,  and  for  delight 
ful  conversations,  as  they  sat  under  the  stars, 
while  the  camp-fire  blazed  among  the  pictur 
esque  groups  of  Mexicans  playing  monte 
around  it. 

On  the  third  afternoon,  the  Seftora  and 
Isabel  were  taking  a  siesta,  but  Antonia  could 
not  sleep.  After  one  or  two  efforts  she  was 
thoroughly  aroused  by  the  sound  of  voices 
which  had  been  very  familiar  to  her  in  the 
black  days  of  the  flight — those  of  a  woman 
and  her  weary  family  of  seven  children.  She 
had  helped  her  in  many  ways,  and  she  still  felt 


394  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

an  interest  in  her  welfare.  It  appeared  now  to 
be  assured.  Antonia  found  her  camping  in  a 
little  grove  of  mulberry  trees.  She  had 
recovered  her  health  ;  her  children  were  noisy 
and  happy,  and  her  husband,  a  tall,  athletic 
man,  with  a  determined  eye  and  very  courteous 
manners,  was  unharnessing  the  mules  from  a 
fine  Mexican  wagon  ;  part  of  the  lawful  spoils 
of  war.  They,  too,  were  going  home  :  "  back  to 
the  Brazos,"  said  the  woman  affectionately ; 
"  and  we're  in  a  considerable  hurry,"  she  added, 
"  because  it's  about  time  to  get  the  corn  in. 
Jake  lays  out  to  plant  fifty  acres  this  year. 
He  says  he  can  go  to  planting  now  with  an 
easy  conscience  ;  he  'lows  he  has  killed  enough 
Mexicans  to  keep  him  quiet  a  spell." 

They  talked  a  short  time  together,  and  then 
Antonia  walked  slowly  into  the  deeper  shadows 
of  the  wood.  She  found  a  wide  rock,  under 
trees  softly  dimpling,  pendulous,  and  tenderly 
green  ;  and  she  sat  down  in  the  sweet  gloom, 
to  think  of  the  beloved  dead.  She  had  often 
longed  for  some  quiet  spot,  where,  alone  with 
God  and  nature,  she  could,  just  for  once,  give 
to  her  sorrow  and  her  love  a  free  expres 
sion. 


HOME  AGAIN.  395 

Now  the  opportunity  seemed  to  be  hers. 
She  began  to  recall  her  whole  acquaintance 
with  Dare — their  hours  of  pleasant  study — 
their  sails  upon  the  river — their  intercourse  by 
the  fireside — the  most  happy  Sundays,  when 
they  walked  in  the  house  of  God  together. 
In  those  days,  what  a  blessed  future  was  be 
fore  them  !  She  recalled  also  the  time  of  hope 
and  anxiety  after  the  storming  of  the  Alamo, 
and  then  the  last  heroic  act  of  his  stainless 
life.  She  had  felt  sure  that  in  such  a  session 
with  her  own  soul  she  would  find  the  relief  of 
unrestrained  and  unchecked  weeping.  But  we 
cannot  kindle  when  we  will  either  the  fire  or 
the  sensibility  of  the  soul.  She  could  not 
weep  ;  tears  were  far  from  her.  Nay,  more, 
she  began  to  feel  as  if  tears  were  not  needed 
for  one  who  had  found  out  so  beautiful,  so  un 
selfish,  so  divine  a  road  to  the  grave.  Ought 
she  not  rather  to  rejoice  that  he  had  been  so 
early  called  and  blest  ?  To  be  glad  for  herself, 
too,  that  all  her  life  long  she  could  keep  the 
exquisite  memory  of  a  love  so  noble  ? 

In  the  drift  of  such  thoughts,  her  white, 
handsome  face  grew  almost  angelic.  She  sat 
motionless  and  let  them  come  to  her;  as  if  she 


396  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

were  listening  to  the  comforting  angels.  For 
God  has  many  ways  of  saying  to  the  troubled 
soul :  "  Be  at  peace  ";  and,  certainly,  Antonia 
had  not  anticipated  the  calmness  and  resig 
nation  which  forbid  her  the  tears  she  had  be 
spoken. 

At  length,  in  that  sweet  melancholy  which 
such  a  mental  condition  induces,  she  rose  to 
return  to  the  camp.  A  few  yards  nearer  to  it 
she  saw  Lopez  sitting  in  a  reverie  as  profound 
as  her  own  had  been.  He  stood  up  to  meet 
her.  The  patience,  the  pathos,  the  exaltation 
in  her  face  touched  his  heart  as  no  words 
could  have  done.  He  said,  only  :  "  Seftorita,  if 
I  knew  how  to  comfort  you  !  " 

"  I  went  away  to  think  of  the  dead,  Seftor." 

"  I  comprehend — but  then,  I  wonder  if  the 
dead  remember  the  living  !  " 

"  In  whatever  dwelling-place  of  eternity  the 
dear  ones  who  died  at  Goliad  are,  I  am  sure 
that  they  remember.  Will  the  emancipated 
soul  be  less  faithful  than  the  souls  still  earth- 
bound  ?  Good  souls  could  not  even  wish  to 
forget — and  they  were  good." 

"  It  will  never  be  permitted  me  to  know  two 
souls  more  pure,  more  faithful,  more  brave, 


HOME  AGAIN.  397 

Juan  was  as  a  brother  to  me,  and,  by  my 
Santiguada  !  *  I  count  it  among  God's  bless 
ings  to  have  known  a  man  like  Seftor  Grant. 
A  white  soul  he  had  indeed ;  full  of  great 
nobilities  ! " 

Antonia  looked  at  him  gratefully.  Tears 
uncalled-for  sprang  into  the  eyes  of  both ;  they 
clasped  hands  and  walked  mutely  back  to  the 
camp  together.  For  the  sentiment  which 
attends  the  realization  that  all  is  over,  is 
gathered  silently  into  the  heart ;  it  is  too  deep 
for  words. 

They  found  the  camp  already  in  that  flurry 
of  excitement  always  attendant  upon  its  rest 
and  rising,  and  the  Sefiora  was  impatiently  in 
quiring  for  her  eldest  daughter. 

"  Gracious  Maria  !  Is  that  you,  Antonia  ? 
At  this  hour  we  are  all  your  servants,  I  think. 
I,  at  least,  have  been  waiting  upon  your  pleas 
ure  ";  then  perceiving  the  traces  of  sorrow  and 
emotion  on  her  face,  she  added,  with  an  un 
reasonable  querulousness :  "  I  bless  God  when 
I  see  how  He  has  provided  for  women  ;  giving 
them  tears,  when  they  have  no  other  employ* 
ment  for  their  time." 

*  Sign  of  the  Cross. 


398  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"Dearest  mother,  I  am  sorry  to  have  kept 
you  waiting.  I  hope  that  you  have  forgotten 
nothing.  Where  is  your  mantilla?  And  have 
you  replenished  your  cigarito  case  ?  Is  there 
water  in  the  wagon  ?  " 

"  Nothing  has  been  provided.  Things  most 
necessary  are  forgotten,  no  doubt.  When  you 
neglect  such  matters,  what  less  could  happen?  " 

But  such  little  breezes  of  temper  were  soon 
over.  The  influences  surrounding,  the  pros 
pects  in  advance,  were  too  exhilarating  to  per 
mit  of  anything  but  passing  shadows,  and 
after  an  easy,  delightful  journey,  they  reached 
at  length  the  charming  vicinity  of  the  romantic 
city  of  the  sword.  They  had  but  another  five 
miles  ride,  and  it  was  the  Sefiora's  pleasure  to 
take  it  at  the  hour  of  midnight.  She  did  not 
wish  her  return  to  be  observed  and  talked 
about ;  she  was  in  reality  very  much  mortified 
by  the  condition  of  her  own  and  her  daughters' 
wardrobe. 

Consequently,  though  they  made  their  noon 
camp  so  near  to  their  journey's  end,  they  rested 
there  until  San  Antonio  was  asleep  and  dream 
ing.  It  was  the  happiest  rest  of  all  the  delight 
ful  ones  they  had  known.  The  knowledge 


HOME  AGAIN.  395 

that  it  was  the  last  stage  of  a  journey  so  re 
markable,  made  every  one  attach  a  certain 
tender  value  to  the  hours  never  to  come  back ; 
to  the  experiences  never  to  be  repeated. 

The  Sefiora  was  gay  as  a  child  ;  Isabel  shared 
and  accentuated  her  enthusiasms  ;  Luis  was  ex 
pressing  his  happiness  in  a  variety  of  songs; 
now  glorifying  his  love  in  some  pretty  romance 
or  serenade,  again  musically  assuring  liberty, 
or  Texas,  that  he  would  be  delighted  at  any 
moment  to  lay  down  his  life  for  their  sakes. 
Antonia  was  quite  as  much  excited  in  her  own 
way,  which  was  naturally  a  much  quieter  way \ 
and  Lopez  sat  under  a  great  pecan-tree,  smok 
ing  his  cigarito  with  placid  smiles  and  admir 
ing  glances  at  every  one. 

As  the  sun  set,  the  full  moon  rose  as  it  rises  no 
where  but  over  Texan  or  Asian  plains  ;  golden, 
glorious,  seeming  to  fill  the  whole  heaven  and 
the  whole  earth  with  an  unspeakable  radiance  ; 
softly  glowing,  exquisitely,  magically  beautify 
ing.  The  commonest  thing  under  it  was  trans 
figured  into  something  lovely,  fantastic,  fairy- 
like.  And  the  dullest  souls  swelled  and  rose 
like  the  tides  under  its  influence. 

Antonia  took  from  their  stores  the  best  they 


REMEMBER  THE  ALAMO. 

had,  and  a  luxurious  supper  was  spread  upon 
the  grass.  The  meal  might  have  been  one  of 
ten  courses,  it  occupied  so  long:  it  provoked 
so  much  mirth,  such  a  rippling  stream  of  remi 
niscence  ;  finally,  such  a  sweetly  solemn  retro 
spect  of  the  sorrows  and  mercies  and  triumphs 
of  the  campaign  they  had  shared  together.  This 
latter  feeling  soon  dominated  all  others. 

The  delicious  light,  the  sensuous  atmosphere, 
the  white  turrets  and  towers  of  the  city,  shining 
on  the  horizon  like  some  mystical,  heavenly 
city  in  dreams — the  murmur  of  its  far-off  life, 
more  audible  to  the  spiritual  than  the  natural 
ears — the  dark  figures  of  the  camp  servants, 
lying  in  groups  or  quietly  shuffling  their  cards, 
were  all  elements  conducive  to  a  grave  yet 
happy  seriousness. 

No  one  intended  to  sleep.  They  were  to 
rest  in  the  moonlight  until  the  hour  of  eleven, 
and  then  make  their  last  stage.  This  night 
they  instinctively  kept  close  together.  The 
Seftora  had  mentally  reached  that  point  where 
it  was  not  unpleasant  to  talk  over  troubles, 
and  to  amplify  especially  her  own  share  of 
them. 

"  But,  Holy  Maria  !  "  she  said ;  "  how  unnec- 


HOME  AGAIN.  401 

rssary  are  such  sorrows  !  I  am  never,  in  the 
Beast,  any  better  for  them.  When  the  Divine 
Majesty  condescends  to  give  me  the  sunshine 
of  prosperity,  I  am  always  exceedingly  relig 
ious.  On  the  contrary,  when  I  am  in  sorrow,  I 
»io  not  feel  inclined  to  pray.  That  is  precisely 
natural.  Can  the  blessed  Mother  expect 
thanks,  when  she  gives  her  children  only  suffer', 
ing  and  tears  ?  " 

"  God  gives  us  whatever  is  best  for  us,  dear 
mother." 

"  Speak,  when  you  have  learned  wisdom, 
Antonia.  I  shall  always  believe  that  trouble 
comes  from  the  devil ;  indeed,  Fray  Ignatius 
once  told  me  of  a  holy  man  that  had  one  grief 
upon  the  heels  of  the  other,  and  it  was  the 
devil  who  was  sent  with  all  of  them.  I  have 
myself  no  doubt  that  he  opened  the  gates  of 
hell  for  Santa  Anna  to  return  to  earth  and  do 
a  little  work  for  him." 

"  This  thought  makes  me  tremble,"  said 
Lopez  ;  "  souls  that  have  become  angelic,  can 
become  evil.  The  degraded  seraphim,  whom 
we  call  the  devil,  was  once  the  companion  of 
archangels,  and  stood  with  Michael,  and  Raph 
ael,  and  Gabriel,  in  the  presence  of  the  Holy 


402  REMEMBER  THE  ALAMO, 

One.     Is    there   sin  in    heaven  ?     Can  we    be 
tempted  even  there  ?  " 

The  inquiry  went  in  different  ways  to  each 
heart,  but  no  one  answered  it.  There  were 
even  a  few  moments  of  constrained,  conscious 
silence,  which  Luis  happily  ended,  by  chant 
ing  softly  a  verse  from  the  hymn  of  the  Three 
Angels  • 

"  '  Who  like  the  Lord? '  thunders  Michael  the  Chief. 
Raphael,  '  the  cure  of  God,'  bringeth  relief, 
And,  as  at  Nazareth,  prophet  of  peace, 
Gabriel,  '  the  light  of  God,'  bringeth  release." 

The  noble  syllables  floated  outward  and  up 
ward,  and  Antonia  and  Lopez  softly  intoned 
the  last  line  together,  letting  them  fall  slowly 
and  softly  into  the  sensitive  atmosphere. 

*'  And  as  for  trouble  coming  from  the  devil," 
said  Lopez,  "  I  think,  Sefiora,  that  Fray  Igna 
tius  is  wrong.  Trouble  is  not  the  worst  thing 
that  can  come  to  a  man  or  woman.  On  the 
contrary,  our  Lady  of  Prosperity  is  said  to  do 
them  far  greater  harm.  Let  me  repeat  to  you 
what  the  ever  wise  Don  Francisco  de  Quevedo 
Villegas  says  about  her: 

"  Where  is  the  virtue  prosperity  has  not 
staggered  ?  Where  the  folly  she  has  not  aug- 


HOME  AGAIN.  4°3 

merited  ?  She  takes  no  counsel,  she  fears  no 
punishment.  She  furnishes  matter  for  scandal, 
experience,  and  for  story.  How  many  souls, 
innocent  while  poor,  have  fallen  into  sin  and 
impiety  as  soon  as  they  drank  of  the  enchanted 
cup  of  prosperity  ?  Men  that  can  bear  pros 
perity,  are  for  heaven  ;  even  wise  devils  leave 
them  alone.  As  for  the  one  who  persecuted 
and  beggared  Job,  how  foolish  and  impertinent 
he  was  !  If  he  had  understood  humanity,  he 
would  have  multiplied  his  riches,  and  pos 
sessed  him  of  health,  and  honors,  and  pleasures: 
that  is  the  trial  it  cannot  bear/  ' 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure  !  Quevedo  was  a  wise  man. 
But  even  wise  men  don't  know  everything. 
However,  we  are  going  home!  I  thank  the 
saints  for  this  immeasurable  favor.  It  is  a 
prosperity  that  is  good  for  women.  I  will 
stake  my  Santiguida  on  that  !  And  will  you 
observe  that  it  is  Sunday  again  ?  Just  before 
sunset  I  heard  the  vesper  bells  clearly.  Re 
member  that  we  left  San  Antonio  on  Sunday 
also  !  I  have  always  heard  that  Sunday  was  a 
good  day  to  begin  a  journey  on." 

"  If  it  had  been  on  a  Friday — ' 

"Fiiday!     Indeed,  Luis,  I  would  not  have 


404  REMEA*BAR  THE  ALAMO. 

gone  one  hundred  yards  upon  a  Friday.  How 
can  you  suppose  what  is  so  inconceivably  fool 
ish  ?  " 

"  I  think  much  of  the  right  hour  to  under 
take  anything,"  said  Lopez.  "  The  first  move 
ments  are  not  in  the  hands  of  men  ;  and  we 
are  subject  to  more  influences  than  we  com 
prehend.  There  is  a  ripe  time  for  events,  as 
well  as  for  fruits :  but  the  hour  depends  upon 
forces  which  we  cannot  control  by  giving  to 
them  the  name  of  the  day;  and  our  sag* 
Quevedo  has  made  a  pleasant  mockery  thereon 
It  is  at  my  lips,  if  your  ears  care  to  hear  it." 

"  Quevedo,  again !  No,  it  is  not  proper, 
Seftor.  Every  day  has  its  duties  and  its  favors, 
Seftor.  That  man  actually  said  that  fasting  on 
Friday  was  not  a  special  means  of  grace  !  Que 
vedo  was  almost  a  heretic.  I  have  heard  Fray 
Ignatius  say  so.  He  did  not  approve  of  him." 

"  Mi  madre,  let  us  hear  what  is  to  be  said, 
Rachela  told  me,  I  must  fast  on  a  Friday, 
and  cut  my  nails  on  a  Wednesday,  and  never 
cut  them  on  a  Sunday,  and  take  medicine  on  a 
Monday,  and  look  after  money  on  Tuesday, 
and  pay  calls  and  give  gifts  on  Saturday; 
very  well,  I  do  not  think  much  of  Rachela; 


HOME  AGAIN.  405 

just  suppose,  for  the  passing  of  the  time,  that 
we  listen  to  what  Quevedo  says." 

"  Here  are  four  against  me ;  well,  then, 
proceed,  Sefior." 

"  'On  Monday,'  says  the  wise  and  witty  one, 
1  buy  all  that  you  can  meet  with,  and  take  all 
that  is  to  be  had  for  nothing.  On  Tuesday, 
receive  all  that  is  given  you ;  for  it  is  Mar's 
day,  and  he  will  look  on  you  with  an  ill  aspect 
if  you  refuse  the  first  proffer  and  have  not  a 
second.  On  Wednesday,  ask  of  all  you  meet; 
perhaps  Mercury  may  give  some  one  vanity 
enough  to  grant  you  something.  Thursday  is 
a  good  day  to  believe  nothing  that  flatterers 
say.  Friday  it  is  well  to  shun  creditors.  On 
Saturday  it  is  well  to  lie  long  abed,  to  walk  at 
your  ease,  to  eat  a  good  dinner,  and  to  wear 
comfortable  shoes ;  because  Saturn  is  old,  and 
loves  his  ease.' " 

"And  Sunday,  Seftor?" 

"  Pardon,  Seftorita  Isabel,  Sunday  comes 
not  into  a  pasquinade.  Senora,  let  me  tell  you 
that  it  draws  near  to  eleven.  If  we  leave  now 
we  shall  reach  San  Antonio  in  time  to  say  the 
prayer  of  gratitude  before  the  blessed  day  of 
the  seven  is  past." 


4°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  Holy  Mary!  that  is  what  I  should  desire. 
Come,  my  children  ;  I  thank  you,  Seftor,  for 
such  a  blessed  memory.  My  heart  is  indeed 
full  of  joy  and  thankfulness." 

A  slight  disappointment,  however,  awaited 
the  Seftora.  Without  asking  any  questions, 
without  taking  anything  into  consideration, 
perhaps,  indeed,  because  she  feared  to  ask  or 
consider,  she  had  assumed  that  she  would  im 
mediately  re-enter  her  own  home.  With  the 
unreason  of  a  child,  she  had  insisted  upon  ex 
pecting  that  somehow,  or  by  some  not  ex 
plained  efforts,  she  would  find  her  house  pre 
cisely  as  she  left  it.  Little  had  been  said  of 
its  occupancy  by  Fray  Ignatius  and  his  broth- 
ers  ;  perhaps  she  did  not  quite  believe  in  the 
statement ;  perhaps  she  expected  Fray  Igna^ 
tius  to  respect  the  arrangements  which  he 
knew  had  been  so  dear  to  her. 

It  was  therefore  a  trial — indeed,  something  of 
a  shock — when  she  found  they  were  to  be  the 
guests  of  Navarro,  and  when  it  was  made 
clear  to  her  that  her  own  home  had  been  di& 
mantled  and  rearranged  and  was  still  in  the 
possession  of  the  Church.  But,  with  a  child's 
unreason,  she  had  also  a  sweet  ductility  of 


HOME  AGAIN.  407 

nature ;  she  was  easily  persuaded,  easily 
pleased,  and  quite  ready  to  console  herself  with 
the  assurance  that  it  only  needed  Doctor 
Worth's  presence  and  personal  influence  ta 
drive  away  all  intruders  upon  her  rights. 

In  the  mean  time  she  was  contented.  The 
finest  goods  in  San  Antonio  were  sent  early 
on  the  following  morning  to  her  room  ;  and 
the  selection  of  three  entire  wardrobes  gave 
her  abundance  of  delightful  employment. 
She  almost  wept  with  joy  as  she  passed  the 
fine  lawns  and  rich  silks  through  her  worn 
fingers.  And  when  she  could  cast  off  forever 
her  garment  of  heaviness  and  of  weariful  wan 
derings,  and  array  herself  in  the  splendid 
robes  which  she  wore  with  such  grace  and 
pleasure,  she  was  an  honestly  grateful  woman. 

Then  she  permitted  Lopez  to  let  her  old 
acquaintances  know  of  her  presence  in  her 
native  city  ;  and  she  was  comforted  when  she 
began  to  receive  calls  from  the  Senora  Alveda, 
and  Judge  and  Seflora  Valdez,  and  many 
other  of  her  friends  and  associates.  They 
encouraged  her  to  talk  of  her  sufferings  and 
her  great  loss.  Even  the  judge  thought  it 
worth  his  while,  now,  to  conciliate  the  simple 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

little  woman.  He  had  wisdom  enough  to  per 
ceive  that  Mexican  domination  was  over,  and 
that  the  American  influence  of  Doctor  Worth 
was  likely  to  be  of  service  to  him. 

The  Seftora  found  herself  a  heroine  ;  more 
than  that,  she  became  aware  that  for  some 
reason  those  who  had  once  patronized  her 
were  now  disposed  to  pay  her  a  kind  of  court. 
But  this  did  not  lessen  her  satisfaction  ;  she 
suspected  no  motive  but  real  kindness,  for  she 
had  that  innate  rectitude  which  has  always 
confidence  in  the  honesty  of  others. 

There  was  now  full  reconciliation  between 
Luis  and  his  mother  and  uncles  ;  and  his  be 
trothal  to  Isabel  was  acknowledged  with  all 
the  customary  rejoicings  and  complimentary 
calls  and  receptions.  Life  quickly  began  to 
fall  back  into  its  well-defined  grooves  ;  if  there 
was  anything  unusual,  every  one  made  an 
effort  to  pass  it  by  without  notice.  The  city 
was  conspicuously  in  this  mind.  American 
rule  was  accepted  in  the  quiescent  temper 
with  which  men  and  women  accept  weather 
which  may  or  may  not  be  agreeable,  but 
which  is  known  to  be  unavoidable.  Americans 
were  coming  by  hundreds  and  by  thousands 


HOME  AGAIN.  4°9 

and  those  Mexicans  who  could  not  make  up 
their  minds  *o  become  Texans,  and  to  assimi 
late  with  the  new  elements  sure  to  predomi 
nate,  were  quietly  breaking  up  their  homes 
and  transferring  their  interests  across  the  Rio 
Grande. 

They  were  not  missed,  even  for  a  day. 
Some  American  was  ready  to  step  into  their 
place,  and  the  pushing,  progressive  spirit  of 
the  race  was  soon  evident  in  the  hearty  way 
with  which  they  set  to  work,  not  only  to  re 
pair  what  war  had  destroyed,  but  to  inaugu 
rate  those  movements  which  are  always 
among  their  first  necessities.  Ministers,  phy 
sicians,  teachers,  mechanics  of  all  kinds,  were 
soon  at  work  ;  churches  were  built,  Bibles  were 
publicly  sold,  or  given  away ;  schools  were 
advertised  ;  the  city  was  changing  its  tone  as 
easily  as  a  woman  changes  the  fashion  of  her 
dress.  Santa  Anna  had  said  truly  enough  to 
Houston,  that  the  Texans  had  no  flag  to 
fight  under ;  but  the  young  Republic  very 
soon  flung  her  ensign  out  among  those  of  the 
gray  nations  of  the  world.  It  floated  above 
the  twice  glorious  Alamo :  a  bright  blue  stand- 
ard,  with  one  white  star  in  the  centre.  It  was 


410  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

run  up  at  sunrise  one  morning.  The  city  was 
watching  for  it ;  and  when  it  suddenly  flew  out 
in  their  sight,  it  was  greeted  with  the  most 
triumphant  enthusiasm.  The  lonely  star  in 
its  field  of  blue  touched  every  heart's  chivalry. 
It  said  to  them,  "  I  stand  alone  !  I  have  no 
sister  states  to  encourage  and  help  me  !  I  rely 
only  on  the  brave  hearts  and  strong  arms  that 
set  me  here ! "  And  they  answered  the  silent 
appeal  with  a  cheer  that  promised  everything  ; 
with  a  love  that  even  then  began  to  wonder 
if  there  were  not  a  place  for  such  a  glorious 
star  in  the  grand  constellation  under  which 
most  of  them  had  been  born. 

A  short  time  after  their  return,  the  Seftora 
had  a  letter  from  her  husband,  saying  that  he 
was  going  to  New  Orleans  with  General  Hous 
ton,  whose  wound  was  in  a  dangerous  condi 
tion.  Thomas  Worth  had  been  appointed  to 
an  important  post  in  the  civil  government ;  and 
his  labors,  like  those  of  all  the  public  men  of 
Texas  at  that  date,  were  continuous  and  Her 
culean.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  leave 
them  ;  but  the  doctor  assured  his  wife  that  he 
would  return  as  soon  as  he  had  placed  Houston 
in  the  hands  of  skilful  surgeons  ;  and  he  asked 


HOME  AGAIN.  411 

her,  until  then,  to  be  as  happy  as  her  circum* 
stances  permitted. 

She  was  quite  willing  to  obey  the  request. 
Not  naturally  inclined  to  worry,  she  found 
many  sources  of  content  and  pleasure,  until 
the  early  days  of  June  brought  back  to  her  the 
husband  she  so  truly  loved,  and  with  him  the 
promise  of  a  return  to  her  own  home.  Indeed 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  return  had 
vanished  ere  they  were  to  meet.  Fray  Igna 
tius  had  convinced  himself  that  his  short  lease 
had  fully  expired  ;  and  when  Dr.  Worth  went 
armed  with  the  legal  process  necessary  to  re 
sume  his  rights,  he  found  his  enemy  had 
already  surrendered  them.  The  house  was 
empty.  Nothing  of  its  old  splendor  remained. 
Every  one  of  its  properties  had  been  scattered. 
The  poor  Sefiora  walked  through  the  desolate 
rooms  with  a  heartache. 

"  It  was  precisely  in  this  spot  that  the  side 
board  stood,  Roberto  ! — the  sideboard  that  my 
cousin  Johar  presented  to  me.  It  came  from 
the  City  of  Mexico,  and  there  was  not  another 
like  it.  I  shall  regret  it  all  my  life." 

"  Maria,  my  dearest,  it  might  have  been 
worse.  The  silver  which  adorned  it  is  safe. 


REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

Those  r — monks  did  not  find  out  its  hiding- 
place,  and  I  bought  you  a  far  more  beautiful 
sideboard  in  New  Orleans ;  the  very  newest 
style,  Maria." 

"  Roberto  !  Roberto  !  How  happy  you 
make  me  !  To  be  sure  my  cousin  Johar's  side 
board  was  already  shabby — and  to  have  a  side 
board  from  New  Orleans,  that,  indeed,  is  some 
thing  to  talk  about !  " 

"  Besides,  which,  dearest  one,  I  bought  new 
furniture  for  the  parlors,  and  for  your  own 
apartments ;  also  for  Antonia's  and  Isabel's 
rooms.  Indeed,  Maria,  I  thought  it  best  to 
provide  afresh  for  the  whole  house." 

"  How  wonderful !  No  wife  in  San  Antonio 
has  a  husband  so  good.  I  will  never  conde* 
scend  to  speak  of  you  when  other  women  talk 
of  their  husbands.  New  furniture  for  my 
whole  house !  The  thing  is  inconceivably 
charming.  But  when,  Roberto,  will  these 
things  arrive?  Is  there  danger  on  the  road 
they  are  coming?  Might  not  someone  take 
them  away?  I  shall  not  be  able  to  sleep  until 
I  am  sure  they  are  safe." 

"  I  chartered  a  schooner  in  New  Orleans,  and 
came  with  them  to  the  Bay  of  Espiritu  Santo. 


HOME  AGAIN. 

There  I  saw  them  placed  upon  wagons,  and 
only  left  them  after  the  customs  had  been  paid 
in  the  interior — sixty  miles  away.  You  may 
hire  servants  at  once  to  prepare  the  rooms: 
the  furniture  will  be  here  in  about  three 
days." 

"  I  am  the  happiest  woman  in  the  world, 
Roberto  !  "  And  she  really  felt  herself  to  be 
so.  Thoughtful  love  could  have  devised  noth 
ing  more  likely  to  bridge  pleasantly  and  surely 
over  the  transition  between  the  past  and  the 
coming  life.  Every  fresh  piece  of  furniture 
unpacked  was  a  new  wonder  and  a  new  de 
light.  With  her  satin  skirts  tucked  daintily- 
clear  of  soil,  and  her  mantilla  wrapped  around 
her  head  and  shoulders,  she  went  from  room 
to  room,  interesting  herself  in  every  strip  of 
carpet,  and  every  yard  of  drapery.  Her  de- 
light  was  infectious.  The  doctor  smiled  to  find 
himself  comparing  shades,  and  gravely  consid 
ering  the  arrangement  of  chairs  and  tables. 

But  how  was  it  possible  for  so  loving  a  hus 
band  and  father  to  avoid  sharing  the  pleasure 
he  had  provided  ?  And  Isabel  was  even  more 
excited  than  her  mother.  All  this  grandeur 
had  a  double  meaning  to  her  ;  it  would  reflect 


4*4  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

honor  upon  the  betrothal  receptions  which 
would  be  given  for  Luis  and  herself — "  amber 
satin  and  white  lace  is  exactly  what  I  should 
have  desired,  Antonia,"  she  said  delightedly. 
"  How  exceedingly  suitable  it  will  be  to  me ! 
And  those  delicious  chintzes  and  dimities  for 
our  bedrooms !  Did  you  ever  conceive  of 
things  so  beautiful?" 

Antonia  was  quite  ready  to  echo  her  delight. 
Housekeeping  and  homemaking,  in  all  its  ways, 
was  her  lovable  talent.  It  was  really  Antonia 
who  saw  all  the  plans  and  the  desires  of  the 
Seftora  thoroughly  carried  out.  It  was  her 
clever  fingers  and  natural  taste  which  gave  to 
every  room  that  air  of  comfort  and  refinement 
which  all  felt  and  admired,  but  which  seemed 
to  elude  their  power  to  imitate. 

On  the  fourth  of  July  the  doctor  and  his 
family  ate  together  their  first  dinner  in  their 
renovated  home.  The  day  was  one  that  he 
never  forgot,  and  he  was  glad  to  link  it  with  a 
domestic  occurence  so  happy  and  so  fortunate. 

Sometimes  silently,  sometimes  with  a  few 
words  to  his  boys,  he  had  always,  on  this 
festival,  drank  his  glass  of  fine  Xeres  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  the  land  he  loved.  This 


HOME  AGAIN.  4T5 

day  he  spoke  her  name  proudly.  He  recalled 
the  wonders  of  her  past  progress;  he  antici 
pated  the  blessings  which  she  would  bring  to 
Texas  ;  he  said,  as  he  lifted  the  glass  in  his 
hand,  and  let  the  happy  tears  flow  down  his 
browned  and  thinned  face  : 

"  My  wife  and  daughters,  I  believe  I  shall 
live  to  see  the  lone  star  set  in  the  glorious 
assemblage  of  her  sister  stars  !  I  shall  live  to 
say,  I  dwell  in  San  Antonio,  which  is  the 
loveliest  city  in  the  loveliest  State  of  the 
American  Union.  For,  dear  ones,  I  was  born 
an  American  citizen,  and  I  ask  this  favor  of 
God,  that  I  may  also  die  an  American 
citizen." 

"  Mi  Roberto,  when  you  die  I  shall  not  long 
survive  you.  And  now  that  the  house  is  made 
so  beautiful !  With  so  much  new  furniture  ! 
How  can  you  speak  of  dying?" 

"  And,  my  dear  father,  remember  how  you 
have  toiled  and  suffered  for  the  Independence 
of  Texas." 

"  Because,  Antonia,  I  would  have  Texas  go 
free  into  a  union  of  free  States.  This  was  the 
hope  of  Houston.  '  We  can  have  help/  he 
often  said  to  his  little  army ;  "  a  word  will  call 


41 6  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

help  from  Nacogdoches, — but  we  will  emanci 
pate  ourselves.  If  we  go  into  the  American 
States,  we  will  go  as  equals ;  we  will  go  as 
men  who  have  won  the  right  to  say :  Let 
us  dwell  under  the  same  flag,  for  we  are 
brotfurs  I  " 


CHAPTER   XVIA 

UNDER   ONE   FLAG. 

*And  through  thee  I  believe 
In  the  noble  and  great,  who  are  gone. 

"  Yes  !  I  believe  that  there  lived 
Others  like  thee  in  the  past. 
Not  like  the  men  of  the  crowd. 
Who  all  around  me  to-day, 
Bluster,  or  cringe,  and  make  life 
Hideous,  and  arid,  and  vile, 
But  souls  temper'd  with  fire, 
Fervent,  heroic,  and  good  ; 
Helpers,  and  friends  of  mankind." 

— ARNOLD. 

"Our armor  now  may  rust,  our  idle  scimitars 
Hang  by  our  sides  for  ornament,  not  use. 
Children  shall  beat  our  atabals  and  drums  ; 
And  all  the  noisy  trades  of  war  no  more 
Shall  wake  the  peaceful  morn." 

— DRYDEN. 

AS    the    years    go    on    they    bring    many 
changes — changes  that  come  as  naturally 
as    the    seasons — that    tend     as    naturally   to 
anticipated   growth   and  decay — that  scarcely 
startle  the  subjects  of  them,  till  a  lengthened- 
417 


41 8  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

out  period  of  time  discloses  their  vitality  and 
extent.  Between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  thirty, 
ten  years  do  not  seem  very  destructive  to  life. 
The  woman  at  eighteen,  and  twenty-eight, 
if  changed,  is  usually  ripened  and  improved  ; 
the  man  at  thirty,  finer  and  more  mature  than 
he  was  at  twenty.  But  when  this  same  period 
is  placed  to  women  and  men  who  are  either 
approaching  fifty,  or  have  passed  it,  the  change 
is  distinctly  felt. 

It  was  even  confessed  by  the  Seftora  one 
exquisite  morning  in  the  beginning  of  March, 
though  the  sun  was  shining  warmly,  and  the 
flowers  blooming,  and  the  birds  singing,  and 
all  nature  rejoicing,  as  though  it  was  the  first 
season  of  creation. 

"  I  am  far  from  being  as  gay  and  strong  as 
I  wish  to  be,  Roberto, "  she  said  ;  "  and  to 
day,  consider  what  a  company  there  is  com 
ing!  And  if  General  Houston  is  to  be  added 
to  it,  I  shall  be  as  weary  as  I  shall  be  happy." 

"He  is  the  simplest  of  men;  a  cup  of  coffee, 
a  bit  of  steak— 

"  San  Bias  !  That  is  how  you  talk  !  But  is 
it  possible  to  receive  him  like  a  common 
mortal?  He  is  a  hero,  and,  besides  that, 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  419 

among  hidalgos  de  casa  Solar"  (gentlemen 
of  known  property) — 

"  Well,  then,  you  have  servants,  Maria,  my 
dear  one/' 

"  Servants  !  Bah  !  Of  what  use  are  they, 
Roberto,  since  they  also  have  got  hold  of 
American  ideas?" 

"  Isabel  and  Antonia  will  be  here." 

"  Let  me  only  enumerate  to  you,  Roberto. 
Thomas  and  his  wife  and  four  children  arrived 
last  night.  You  may  at  this  moment  hear  the 
little  Maria  crying.  I  dare  say  Pepita  is  wash- 
ing  the  child,  and  using  soap  which  is  very  dis 
agreeable.  I  have  always  admired  the  wife  of 
Thomas,  but  I  think  she  is  too  fond  of  her 
own  way  with  the  children.  I  give  her  advices 
which  she  does  not  take." 

"  They  are  her  own  children,  dearest." 

"  Holy  Maria !  They  are  also  my  own 
grandchildren." 

"Well,  well,  we  must  remember  that  Abbie 
is  a  little  Puritan.  She  believes  in  bringing 
up  children  strictly,  and  it  is  good  ;  for  Thomas 
would  spoil  them.  As  for  Isabel's  boys — " 

44  God  be  blessed !  Isabel's  boys  are  en 
tirely  charming.  They  have  been  corrected  at 


420  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

my  own  knee.  There  are  not  more  beautifully 
behaved  boys  in  the  christened  world." 

"And  Antonia's  little  Christina?" 

"  She  is  already  an  angel.  Ah,  Roberto  ! 
If  I  had  only  died  when  I  was  as  innocent  as 
that  dear  one  !  " 

"  I  am  thankful  you  did  not  die,  Maria. 
How  dark  my  life  would  have  been  without 
you  !  " 

"  Beloved,  then  I  am  glad  I  am  not  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven ;  though,  if  one  dies  like 
Christina,  one  escapes  purgatory.  Roberto, 
when  I  rise  I  am  very  stiff :  I  think,  indeed,  I 
have  some  rheumatism." 

"  That  is  not  unlikely  ;  and  also  Maria,  you 
have  now  some  years." 

"  Let  that  be  confessed;  but  the  good  God 
knows  that  I  lost  all  my  youth  in  that  awful 
flight  of  'thirty-six." 

"  Maria,  we  all  left  or  lost  something  on 
that  dark  journey.  To-day,  we  shall  recover 
its  full  value." 

"  To  be  sure — that  is  what  is  said — we  shall 
see.  Will  you  now  send  Dolores  to  me?  I 
must  arrange  my  toilet  with  some  haste ;  and 
tell  me,  Roberto,  what  dress  is  your  prefer- 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  411 

ence ;  it  is  your  eyes,  beloved,  I  wish  to 
please." 

Robert  Worth  was  not  too  old  to  feel 
charmed  and  touched  by  the  compliment. 
And  he  was  not  a  thoughtless  or  churlish 
husband  ;  he  knew  how  to  repay  such  a  wifely 
compliment,  and  it  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see 
the  aged  companions  standing  hand  in  hand 
before  the  handsome  suits  which  Dolores  had 
spread  out  for  her  mistress  to  examine. 

He  looked  at  the  purple  and  the  black  and 
the  white  robes,  and  then  he  looked  at  the 
face  beside  him.  It  was  faded,  and  had  lost 
its  oval  shape  ;  but  its  coloring  was  yet  beauti 
ful,  and  the  large,  dark  eyes  tender  and  bright 
below  the  snow-white  hair.  After  a  few  min 
utes'  consideration,  he  touched,  gently,  a  robe 
of  white  satin.  "  Put  this  on,  Maria,"  he 
said,  "  and  your  white  mantilla,  and  your  best 
jewels.  The  occasion  will  excuse  the  utmost 
splendor." 

The  choice  delighted  her.  She  had  really 
wished  to  wear  it,  and  some  one's  judgment  to 
endorse  her  own  inclinations  was  all  that  was 
necessary  to  confirm  her  wish.  Dolores  found 
her  in  the  most  delightful  temper.  She  sat 


422  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

before  the  glass,  smiling  and  talking,  while 
her  maid  piled  high  the  snowy  plaits  and  curls, 
and  crowned  them  with  the  jewelled  comb, 
only  worn  on  very  great  festivals.  Her  form 
was  still  good,  and  the  white  satin  fell  grace- 
fully  from  her  throat  to  her  small  feet.  Be 
sides,  whatever  of  loss  or  gain  had  marred  her 
once  fine  proportions,  was  entirely  concealed 
by  the  beautifying,  graceful,  veiling  folds  of 
her  mantilla.  There  was  the  flash  of  dia 
monds,  and  the  moonlight  glimmer  of  pearls 
beneath  this  flimsy  covering ;  and  at  her  belt  a 
few  white  lilies.  She  was  exceedingly  pleased 
with  her  own  appearance,  and  her  satisfaction 
gave  an  ease  and  a  sense  of  authority  to  her 
air  and  movements  which  was  charming. 

"  By  Maria's  grace,  I  am  a  very  pretty  old 
lady,"  she  said  to  herself;  "and  I  think  I 
shall  astonish  my  daughter-in-law  a  little.  One 
is  afraid  of  these  calm,  cool,  northern  women, 
but  I  feel  to-day  that  even  Abbie  must  be 
proud  of  me." 

Indeed,  her  entrance  into  the  large  parlor 
made  quite  a  sensation.  She  could  see  the 
quiet  pleasure  in  her  husband's  face ;  and  her 
son  Thomas,  after  one  glance,  put  down  the 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  4*3 

child  on  his  knee,  and  went  to  meet  her.  "  Mi 
madre,"  he  whispered  with  a  kiss.  He  had 
not  used  the  pretty  Spanish  word  for  years, 
but  in  the  sudden  rush  of  admiring  tenderness, 
his  boyish  heart  came  back  to  him,  and  quite 
unconsciously  he  used  his  boyhood's  speech. 
After  this,  she  was  not  the  least  in  awe  of  her 
wise  daughter-in-law.  She  touched  her  cheek 
kindly,  and  asked  her  about  the  children,  and 
was  immeasurably  delighted  when  Abbie  said  : 
"  How  beautiful  you  are  to-day!  I  wish  I  had 
your  likeness  to  send  to  Boston.  Robert, 
come  here  and  look  at  your  grandmother  !  I 
want  you  to  remember,  as  long  as  you  live, 
how  grandmother  looks  to-day."  And  Robert 
— a  fine  lad  eight  years  old,  accustomed  to 
implicit  obedience — put  down  the  book  he 
was  reading,  planted  himself  squarely  before 
the  Seftora,  and  looked  at  her  attentively,  as  if 
she  was  a  lesson  to  be  learned. 

"  Well  then,  Roberto  ?  " 

"  I  am  glad  I  have  such  a  pretty  grand- 
mother.  Will  you  let  me  stand  on  tiptoes  and 
kiss  you  ?"  and  the  cool,  calm  northern  woman's 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  as  she  brought  her 
younger  children,  one  by  one,  for  the  Senora's 


424  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

caress.  The  doctor  and  his  son  watched  this 
pretty  domestic  drama  with  hearts  full  of  pride 
and  happiness  ;  and  before  it  had  lost  one  parti 
cle  of  its  beauty  and  feeling,  the  door  was  flung 
open  with  a  vigor  which  made  every  one  turn 
to  it  with  expectation.  A  splendid  little  lad 
sprang  in,  and  without  any  consideration  for 
satin  and  lace,  clung  to  the  Seftora.  He  was 
her  image:  a  true  Yturbide,  young  as  he  was; 
beautiful  and  haughty  as  his  Castilian  ances 
tors. 

Isabel  and  Luis  followed ;  Isabel  more 
lovely  than  ever,  richly  dressed  in  American 
fashion,  full  of  pretty  enthusiasms,  vivacious, 
charming,  and  quite  at  her  ease.  She  had 
been  married  eight  years.  She  was  a  fashiona 
ble  woman,  and  an  authority  upon  all  social 
subjects. 

Luis  also  was  wonderfully  improved.  The 
light-hearted  gaiety,  which  ten  years  ago  had 
bubbled  over  in  continual  song,  was  still  there  ; 
but  it  was  under  control,  evident  only  because 
it  made  perpetual  sunshine  on  his  face.  He  had 
taken  the  doctor's  advice — completed  his  study 
of  English  and  Mexican  law — and  become  a 
famous  referee  in  cases  of  disputed  Mexican 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  425 

claims  and  title  deeds.  His  elegant  form  and 
handsome,  olive  face  looked  less  picturesque  in 
the  dull,  uncompromising  stiffness  of  broad 
cloth,  cut  into  those  peculiarly  unbecoming 
fashions  of  ugliness  which  the  anglo-Saxon 
and  anglo-American  affect.  But  it  gained  by 
the  change  a  certain  air  of  reliability  and  im 
portance  ;  an  air  not  to  be  dispensed  with  in 
a  young  lawyer  already  aspiring  to  the  seat 
among  the  lawmakers  of  his  State. 

"  We  called  upon  Antonia,"  said  Isabel,  "  as 
we  came  here.  Of  course  she  was  engaged  with 
Lopez.  They  were  reading  a  book  together ; 
and  even  on  such  a  day  as  this  were  taking, 
with  the  most  blessed  indifference,  a  minute  at 
a  time.  They  will  join  us  on  the  Plaza.  I  rep. 
resented  to  them  that  they  might  miss  a  good 
position.  *  That  has  been  already  secured/  said 
Lopez,  with  that  exasperating  repose  which 
only  the  saints  could  endure  with  patience. 
For  that  reason,  I  consider  Antonia  a  saint  to 
permit  it.  As  for  me,  I  should  say :  '  The 
house  is  on  fire,  Lopez  !  Will  it  please  you  for 
once  to  feel  a  little  excited?'  Luis  says  they 
read,  continually,  books  which  make  people 
think  of  great  solemnities  and  responsibilities. 


426  REMEMBER    THE   ALAMO. 

How  foolish,  when  they  are  so  rich,  and  might 
enjoy  themselves  perpetually  !  " 

"  Here  are  the  carriages,"  cried  Thomas 
Worth,  "  and  the  ceremony  of  to-day  has  its 
own  hour.  It  will  never  come  again." 

"Your  mother  and  I  will  go  first,  Thomas; 
and  we  will  take  Abbie  and  your  eldest  son.  I 
shall  see  you  in  your  place.  Luis,  bring  your 
boy  with  you  ;  he  has  intelligence  and  will  re 
member  the  man  he  will  see  to-day,  and  may 
never  see  again." 

On  the  Plaza,  close  to  the  gates  of  the 
Alamo,  a  rostrum  had  been  erected  ;  and  around 
it  were  a  few  stands,  set  apart  for  the  carriages 
of  the  most  illustrious  of  the  families  of  San 
Antonio,  The  Sefiora,  from  the  shaded  depths 
of  her  own,  watched  their  arrival.  Nothing 
could  be  more  characteristic  than  the  approach 
of  her  daughters.  Antonia  and  Lopez,  stately 
and  handsome,  came  slowly ;  their  high-step 
ping  horses  chafing  at  their  restraint.  Luis  and 
Isabel  drove  to  their  appointed  place  with  a 
speed  and  clatter,  accentuated  by  the  jingling 
of  the  silver  rings  of  the  harness  and  the  silver 
hanging  buttons  on  the  gay  dress  of  the  Mexi 
can  driver.  But  the  occupants  of  both  car- 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  4*7 

riages  appeared  to  be  great  favorites  with  the 
populace  who  thronged  the  Plaza,  the  windows, 
the  flat  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  every  available 
place  for  hearing  and  seeing. 

The  blue  flag  of  Texas  fluttered  gayly  over 
the  lovely  city ;  and  there  was  a  salvo  of  cannon  ; 
then,  into  the  sunshine  and  into  the  sight  of  all 
stepped  the  man  of  his  generation.  Nature 
has  her  royal  line,  and  she  makes  no  mistakes 
in  the  kings  she  crowns.  The  physical  charm 
of  Houston  was  at  this  time  very  great.  His 
tall,  ample,  dignified  form  attracted  attention 
at  once.  His  eyes  penetrated  the  souls  of  all 
upon  whom  they  fell.  His  lips  were  touched 
with  fire,  and  his  words  thrilled  and  swayed 
men,  as  the  wind  sways  the  heavy  heads  in  a 
field  of  ripe  barley. 

He  stretched  out  his  arms  to  the  people,  and 
they  stretched  out  their  arms  to  him.  The 
magnetic  chain  of  sympathy  was  complete. 
The  hearts  of  his  listeners  were  an  instrument, 
on  which  he  played  the  noblest,  most  inspir 
ing,  the  sweetest  of  melodies.  He  kindled 
them  as  flame  kindles  dry  grass.  He  showed 
them  their  future  with  a  prophet's  eye,  and 
touched  them  also  with  the  glad  diviner's  rap« 


428  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

ture.  They  aspired,  they  rejoiced  at  his  bid 
ding  ;  and  at  the  moment  of  their  highest  en- 
thusiasm,  he  cried  out : 

"  Whatever  State  gave  us  birth,  we  have  one- 
native  land  and  we  have  one  flag !  "  Instantly 
from  the  grim,  blood-stained  walls  of  the  for- 
tress,  the  blessed  Stars  and  Stripes  flew  out ; 
and  in  a  moment  a  thousand  smaller  flags, 
from  every  high  place,  gave  it  salutation. 
Then  the  thunder  of  cannon  was  answered  by 
the  thunder  of  voices.  Cannon  may  thunder 
and  make  no  impression  ;  but  the  shout  of  hu 
manity  !  It  stirs  and  troubles  the  deepest 
heart-stream.  It  is  a  cry  that  cannot  be  resist 
ed.  It  sets  the  gates  of  feeling  wide  open. 
And  it  was  while  men  were  in  this  mood  that 
Houston  said  his  last  words  : 

"  I  look  in  this  glorious  sunshine  upon  the 
bloody  walls  of  the  Alamo.  I  remember  Goliad. 
I  carry  my  memory  back  over  the  long  struggle 
of  thirty  years.  Do  you  think  the  young, 
brave  souls,  fired  with  the  love  of  liberty, 
who  fell  in  this  long  conflict  have  forgotten  it  ? 
No!  No!  No  !  Wherever  in  God's  Eternity 
they  are  this  day,  I  believe  they  are  permitted 
to  know  that  Texas  has  become  part  of  their 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  429 

country,  and  rests  forever  under  the  flag  they 
loved.  The  shouting  thousands,  the  booming 
cannon,  that  greeted  this  flag  were  not  all  the 
sounds  I  heard  !  Far  off,  far  off,  yet  louder 
than  any  noise  of  earth,  I  heard  from  the  dead 
years,  and  the  dead  heroes  of  these  years ;  the 
hurrahing  of  ghostly  voices  and  the  clapping 
of  unseen  hands  !  " 

"  It  was  like  Houston  to  call  the  dead  to  the 
triumph,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he  stood  with  the 
Seftora  in  her  room.  He  was  unbuttoning  her 
gloves,  and  her  tears  dropped  down  upon  his 
hands. 

"  He  is  a  man  by  himself,  and  none  like  him, 
I  thought  that  I  should  never  forgive  him  for 
sparing  the  life  of  that  monster — Santa  Anna ; 
but  to-day  I  forgive  him  even  that.  I  am  so 
happy  that  I  shall  ask  Holy  Maria  to  excuse 
me  the  feeling ;  for  it  is  not  good  to  permit 
one's  self  to  be  too  happy ;  it  brings  trouble. 
But  indeed,  when  I  looked  at  Thomas,  I 
thought  how  wisely  he  has  married.  It  is 
seldom  a  mother  can  approve  of  her  daughter- 
in-law  ;  but  Abbie  has  many  excellencies — good 
manners,  and  a  good  heart,  and  a  fortune  which 
is  quite  respectable." 


43°  REMEMBER    THE  ALAMO. 

"  And  strong  principles  also,  Maria.  She 
will  bring  up  her  children  to  know  right  and 
wrong,  and  to  do  right." 

"  That  of  course.  Every  good  mother  does 
that.  I  am  sure  it  is  a  sight  for  the  angels  to 
see  Isabel  teaching  her  children  their  prayers. 
Did  you  observe  also  how  great  a  favorite  Luis 
is?  He  lifted  his  hat  to  this  one  and  that  one, 
and  it  is  certain  that  the  next  election  will  be 
in  his  hand." 

"  Perhaps — I  wish  Lopez  would  take  more 
interest  in  politics.  He  is  a  dreamer." 

"  But,  then,  a  very  happy  dreamer."  Per 
haps  to  dream  well  and  pleasantly  is  to  live  a 
better  life.  Antonia  is  devoted  to  him.  She 
has  a  blessed  lot.  Once  I  did  not  think  she 
would  be  so  fortunate." 

"  Lopez  was  prudent  and  patient." 

"  Prudent !  Patient !  It  is  a  miracle  to  me  ! 
I  assure  you,  they  even  talk  together  of  young 
Seftor  Grant !  It  is  satisfactory,  but  extreme 
ly  strange." 

"  You  had  better  sleep  a  little,  Maria.  Gen 
eral  Houston  is  coming  to  dinner." 

"  That  is  understood.  When  I  spoke  last  to 
him,  I  was  a  woman  broken-hearted.  To-night 


UNDER  ONE  FLAG.  43 l 

I  will  thank  him  for  all  that  he  has  done.  Ah, 
Roberto  !  His  words  to-day  went  to  my  soul 
— I  thought  of  my  Juan — I  thought  of  the 
vision  he  showed  me — I  wondered  if  he  knew — 
if  he  saw — and  heard — "  she  leaned  her  head 
upon  her  husband's  breast,  and  he  kissed  away 
the  sorrowful  rain. 

"  He    was   so   sweet !   so    beautiful !      Oh, 
Roberto  !  " 

"  He  was  God's  greatest  gift  to  us.  Maria  ! 
dear  Maria  !  I  love  you  for  all  the  children 
you  have  given  me;  but  most  of  all, 
luan  /  " 


THE  KNB, 


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